Lost and Found
by Rimana
Summary: FINISHED. She left her former home to become someone else. He gave up his old life for love, and to make his dreams come true. When a new threat appears, the power that was lost will be found within the souls of two young people. LZ
1. PART I: A child in the woods

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Zelda characters, they are all property of Nintendo. I wouldn't have been writing this fic if I did own any of them, after all.

**A/N:** This is my second Zelda fic, and I have plans for this story... if the first chapter is short, it's because it's more a prologue than a chapter, so the other chapters will be longer. Please read and review!

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**_PART I_**

Chapter one:** A child in the woods**

The Lost Woods were silent and almost deserted, at least no sign of life could be spotted anywhere, though the forest was full of birds and animals – and Skull kids. Those were the children of the forest, always shy and reserved of humans and other people. It was just the Kokiri that the Skull kids weren't afraid of. The Skull kids loved to play their instruments and their playing could be heard everywhere in the woods, though they almost never showed themselves to people. They hid in the crowns of the trees, under the ground or in the shadows. Everywhere their beautiful tunes and their shrill laughter could be heard, but no one ever saw them. 

No one exactly knew who the Skull kids were, but the legends told them that they were children, who had been lost in the maze that was Lost Woods. They had once been ordinary children, until they had gone astray in the forest and were never seen again. 

The Skull kids were a mystery to the other races in Hyrule, because no one really knew who they were and whether they were friendly or not – and no one knew how to find out. But it all would change, however, when a human found her way through the woods...

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"Impa?" 

The voice sounded eerie in the increasing darkness, and it sounded helpless and hoarse as well. It belonged to a young girl, about the age of ten years. She was lost and had tried to find her way home for hours now. She was looking for her nursemaid, a Sheikah woman called Impa. The young girl was scared, scared of the sounds in the woods, scared of the darkness, scared of being alone. 

She squatted down beside a tree, and let out some silent sobs. She was lost, the forest was dark and cold and her father would be worried about her. She lay down in the soft moss and cried. Suddenly she felt someone slightly patting her shoulder.

"Leave me alone", she whispered and sobbed. 

"Are you lost?" a strange voice said. The young girl jumped and yelped. She saw a strange being sitting next to her, with a concerned look in its face. The young girl wiped away her tears, though she maybe should have been scared of the creature. But she was only ten years and had no idea what dangerous animals and creatures that lived in the woods. She was just happy to see someone else; at least she wasn't alone anymore.

"Who are you?" she asked the odd being and watched it anxiously. The creature shrugged and sat down in the soft moss next to her.

"Once I was a sweet child, just like you", it said sadly. "I was a sweet little girl, just like you are. I liked to play, but I was scared of the forest. You see, I was a cute little child, but very incautious. One day I played by the edge of the forest, and I walked further into the woods, playing and singing to myself. That's all I can remember of my life as a human. Now I don't know what I am, less _who _I am. I can't remember my name, my age or my family. All I can recollect is what happened that day I came to the forest. If I had not, then I had been a young woman now." 

The creature sobbed and started to cry loudly. The young girl tried to comfort it, but it was senseless, so she sat down and waited. Eventually the creature wiped away the tears and looked at the young girl with dark, glossy eyes.

"And may I ask you who _you _are?" The young girl jumped as she heard the question. She had been lost in her own thoughts.

"I am the Princess, Zelda", she explained. "I went to the forest with my nursemaid Impa to pick mushrooms, but now I can't find her... and it's dark and cold and..."

The creature hushed her and put an arm around her shoulders to comfort her. "Don't worry. I know a place where you can stay. And it's nice and warm, I assure you."

Zelda nodded slightly, and then she followed the creature through the forest and the increasing darkness. Sometimes she almost lost sight of it, but the creature murmured to itself and sometimes even laughed shrilly, so she had not any problems to follow it. She tripped over roots, got wet from stepping into creeks and her dress was torn by thorns, but she wouldn't give up. Finally, the creature stopped and waited. Zelda caught up with it, and the creature pointed to some lights between the trees. It looked like some kind of village, but Zelda had never heard of a village deep into the forest. 

"There", the creature said, and to Zelda's surprise, it didn't even breathe hard from their trip through the woods. "It's called the Kokiri village, and I'm sure the Kokiri will help you. They're nice and friendly, the small people. Good luck then, Princess. I hope I'll see you again someday."

And before Zelda could say "thanks", the creature was gone and she was alone again. She somewhat hesitated, but she realized that she had no choice but to go to the village. She was cold, tired and hungry and the lights coming from the village looked _very _tempting. She headed for the village, yet she couldn't stop thinking of "the small people". Who were they? 

_Well, I'll soon find out,_ Zelda thought as the lights came closer.

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**A/N: **So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Anyway, I don't want to keep writing on this story if nobody reads it, so I want a few reviews for the first chapter before I'll write the next chapter. Review, please!

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..**


	2. Make new friends

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own any of the Zelda characters, they are all property of Nintendo.

**A/N:** Before I'll start writing on chapter 2, I just want to thank you, reviewers! Thanks, I didn't think that this story was that good, but as long as I get reviews, I'll keep writing on this story! 

_Fierce Diety Zelda:_ Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!

_JobuRule:_ Thank you! And here's the next chapter, so please read and tell me what you think! ^_^

_Hokaru:_ Yeah, and I promise I will, as long as I get reviews! Thanks!

_foofbunny: _Thanks very much! And I don't know if the "mighty" Ganondorf is going to be in the story yet, honestly I barely know how to continue this story... I've started to write on this story but I've got a few other stories to write as well, but I'll find out later... 

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Chapter two: **Make new friends**

Zelda was soaked, weary and dirty as she approached the glittering lights coming from the village. Eventually she was standing by the edge of the forest, the village right in front of her. It seemed to consist of small wooden houses, but no one of them was similar, they all looked different. A few of them had two storeys, and some of the houses had paintings on the walls. The village consisted of maybe ten houses, so it did not seem like a lot of people lived there. 

Zelda walked along a path through the cosy village, and it was pretty dark around her, yet the people in the village seemed to be awake. She passed by a house that seemed to be some kind of store, and she could hear laughter and loud, shrill voices. She wanted to approach the house to see who the people living in this village were and what they looked like. But yet she was scared of what they would say if they saw her.

"Excuse me, miss-" Zelda yelped as she heard a gentle voice and quickly turned around. In front of her stood a girl about her age, with blue, beaming eyes and – to Zelda's surprise – green hair. It was short and the girl had a dark green headband in her hair. Her clothes were also green, with some kind of short tunic and a pair of green boots. The girl laughed at Zelda's surprised look.

"What's so funny?" Zelda exclaimed harshly. 

"I'm sorry", the girl said and smiled at her. "I haven't seen you around before... who are you? I can tell you're not from the woods, you wouldn't have been wearing that kind of clothes if you were from here, would you? That dress looks pretty uncomfortable."

"Yes-"

"You'll need some new clothes, and a bath", the girl stated, "and you look pretty tired too. You know, you could sleep at my place tonight."

"Thank you", Zelda said as they started walking. "What's your name?"

"I'm Saria", the girl responded, "and who are you? Wait, let me guess – you're from Hyrule Castle Town, are you not?" 

"Yes, how could you -"

"It's not difficult", Saria laughed. "Just look at the way you're dressed! Oh gosh, I've never understood why people would like to dress that way! I mean, just look at that skirt, it must be _very _uncomfortable when you're climbing in trees, for instance."

"Yes, but I'm not actually climbing in trees", Zelda said, a little annoyed. "I'm a Princess, I'm not allowed to -"

"Oh! You're Zelda! The young Princess!" Saria looked at her, beaming. "I know it was something certain about you... oh, wait, this is my house. Welcome, I suppose."

Saria stopped in front of a cosy little house, with just one floor, and unlocked the wooden door. Inside it was nice and warm, and Zelda noticed a crackling log fire, a low wooden table with a few chairs and a soft carpet covering the floor. 

"Er, it's very nice, Saria", Zelda said, "but I'm not sure I would be allowed to stay here with you... my father surely is _very _worried about me, and-"

"Don't worry, dear", Saria said and giggled. "I'm certain he wouldn't be less worried if you went home right now. There are a lot of dangerous things like Stalchildren out there on Hyrule Field, I've heard. So you better stay here tonight and go back to the Castle tomorrow."

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

The next morning Zelda woke up when the light from the sun hit her face. She yawned and gazed out through the window. At first she expected to see the sunlit courtyard in the Castle, the flower beds and the high marble walls, but instead she saw the peaceful village and recollected where she was. She saw some clothes on the bed and realized that Saria had given her those clothes. It was a green, short dress, a pair of green boots, similar to Saria's, and a hairband too. Zelda put on the clothes, but as she couldn't find anything to comb her hair with, she went out to the kitchen. 

Saria sat by the wooden table with someone else, a boy that looked to be about Zelda's age, maybe a year older. Zelda was surprised to see that he had blond hair too, and beaming blue eyes, just like her. He wore a short green tunic, a green, funny hat and a pair of boots, despite those weren't green, they were brown. He smiled slightly at her as she approached, and she smiled back.

"Good morning, Zelda", Saria said and winked. "I did not expect you to be awake already. Oh, and this is my best friend, Link. Link, this is Princess Zelda."

The young boy got to his feet, somewhat clumsy, bowed slightly and held out his right hand. Zelda took it and they exchanged a firm handshake. 

"Nice to meet you, I suppose", said Zelda shyly. 

"It's nice to meet you too, Princess", Link said.

"Please call me Zelda", she immediately said. "We're not in the Castle right now, so it wouldn't do any harm."

"All right... Zelda." Link gave her a warm smile. Zelda decided that she liked him and Saria too. Saria seemed gleeful and always happy. She couldn't take anything seriously. Despite that, Zelda really liked her. She was so different from the servants and the other people in her home. They neither laughed nor joked and there weren't any children for the young Princess to play with. Link, on the other hand, seemed a little shy and more reserved than Saria, but Zelda thought that if he had been like Saria, it would've been way too much.

"So, Zelda... would you like to explain how you got here?" Link asked anxiously. They sat behind Saria's house, on an old tree trunk. It was early in the morning, and the sun slowly rose over the crones of the trees. The people in the village were awake already. Zelda watched a ladybird climbing up a blade of grass and sighed sadly. She explained everything to Link, how she got lost in the forest, how the Skullkid helped her and how she came to the village. Link just listened without interrupting her, and he nodded slightly in agreement or shook his head as she told him everything. 

"My father surely is _very _worried about me right now", Zelda mused. "I think I should go back..."

"Yes, but how?" Link asked her, and she suddenly realized that she had not thought about that part. But yet she was unsure of what to do. A part of her wanted to be back in the Castle, and the other part of her urged her to stay in the forest. She really liked the forest and the village, and she wanted to stay. Yes, that was what she wanted. To stay with "the small people"...

"You're right, Link", Zelda stated and sighed deeply. "I don't know how to find my way out of the forest."

"I could lead the way. I mean, if you want to go back... but I don't think it's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"The entrance to the forest is sealed by a very strong magic spell", he declared. "The Kokiri people can't walk through the entrance, they'll die if they walk further than the edge of the woods."

"Are you sure?" 

"Certainly. I don't know why, though. But I don't think it's a good idea to take that way. I have never been outside the forest, but Saria told me I would die, like all of the Kokiri, if I walked to far from the village. She told me that the Great Deku Tree put the spell on the entrance long ago, during the war, so that no people could enter the forest... I don't know if it's true, but I always believe what Saria says. She's like a mother to me, you know."

"But you two seems to be the same age!" Zelda exclaimed. 

"Yes, I know. But she's older than me. I don't know exactly how old she is, though. But the Kokiri never grow up..."

"I see. That's why you're called "the small people", isn't it?" Zelda asked. 

Link nodded. "They might have the bodies of a child, but still they've got brains of an adult."

"Sounds cool", Zelda said. "Hey, Link, would you mind showing me the village? I want to see everything." 

"Sure."

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"Are you sure?" King Harkinian looked worried and anxious. He sat down in his throne in the Castle, impatiently tapping his fingers against the armrest. He looked at the middle aged woman that stood in front of him. She was apparently a Sheikah, with a pattern of a scarlet eye on her left sleeve. She was dressed in black, dark blue and grey and her short hair had once been brown, but now it was almost grey, with spots of brown left here and there. Her icy, blue eyes gazed gravely at the King, and she held a dagger in her right hand. She stroked the blade with her fingers as she responded.

"Yes, I am, Your Highness. Your daughter is still missing."

"Impa, send one of the knights to the Lost Woods to search for my daughter!" the King commanded. "And tell him that he won't give up until he finds Zelda, unless he dies in the process!" 

Impa nodded. It was the day after Zelda had gone astray in the Lost Woods. Her nursemaid had been looking for the young girl for hours, but she was nowhere to be found. Impa had found her wooden basket with mushrooms, which lay beside a tree in the soft moss. Impa had returned to the Castle with the sad news, and the King was very upset. The queen had died some years ago, when Zelda was born, and the King's oldest son, Marth, was far away in a land called Termina. There was some trouble in a city called Clock Town. King Harkinian had not seen his son for two years, and highly doubted that he was alive. And now Zelda had been taken from him, too. Impa understood how the King felt. Many years ago, when she had been a young girl, Impa's own family had been killed in an "accident", and she knew how it was to lose someone you loved.  She didn't want to think about all of her own sad memories right now, so she bowed slightly and left the room. She only hoped that Zelda was alive. Without her, there would be no heir to the throne, if Prince Marth was dead as well. Without the Princess, there surely would be no hope for Hyrule. 

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**A/N: **So, how do you like it so far? Please review and tell me! I'm sorry if the spelling was bad... but I really wanted to put chapter 2 up, so I barely looked at it after I wrote it. And I hope you won't mind that I called Zelda's brother Marth… he's in a lot of other stories, as I think you already know, so I thought it wouldn't matter if he was in mine story too! Please don't sue me, okay? And I know this chapter probably was too short, but I just wanted to finish it. The next chapters might be short, but if they're short that means I can update more often. That is, if you want an update or not. In my other fic I wanted 3 reviews to update, so I'll do it again. 3 reviews=update!

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..******


	3. How to get a fairy

**Disclaimer: **And I _still_ don't own any of them. That's it. 

**A/N: **You liked it! You really did! I'm so happy! ^___^  Well, I just have to thank you who reviewed chapter 2...

_GuruGuru214:_Wow, you read both of my stories! I'm sorry, I updated A Simple Thief first... ^_~ But here's the next chapter, though. Thanks for your review!

_Safire Ranmako:_Thanks! I really appreciate it!! And I can't tell the answer to those questions now, you have to read and find out later! I'm not certain myself... 

_Snowsilver:_Thank you! 

_Ani1:_I see you're reading both of my stories, too. Thanks for your review! Yes, a lot of people like Marth, and I do as well. And besides that, I was too lazy to come up with a name myself. -_-;; Whew, I'm not the only one who prefer L/Z, that's good to know!

_joie610:_Thankies to you! I'm so glad you liked it! 

_Gohan-Chan:_Those were big words! Thanks!

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Chapter three: **How to get a fairy**

"Come to think about it, what's those floating balls of light everyone here seems to have?" asked Zelda curiously. 

"Oh, they're fairies", explained Link sadly. "They're our guardian fairies, to be more exactly. Every Kokiri gets a fairy when he or she is born, and the fairies are with them their entire life..."

"What's the matter? You don't look happy at all", Zelda stated.

"It's just because I want to have a fairy, too."

"But... if you're a Kokiri, why don't you have one? I thought you said -"

"I don't know. Look, all those years I have waited for a fairy to come to me, but it has been ten years since I was born, and... oh well, maybe I'm just... a little late developed... or something like that."

He smiled sarcastically. Zelda wanted to cheer him up, but she did not know how though. But she forgot everything about fairies when she saw a boy approaching them. He seemed to be about Link's age, but now Zelda knew that he could've been older. He wore the kind of clothes that every Kokiri had, a short, green tunic, boots and a weird hat, that was similar to Link's. The tunic seemed to be too big for him though; for he had tied a piece of rope around his waist. The boy had dark blond hair and freckles on his nose, and seemed to be the bully type. 

"Who's that?" Zelda whispered in Link's ear. He seemed not very pleased with the boy's presence. 

"It's Mido, and he calls himself the leader of the Kokiri", explained Link lowly. "He's just a stuck up bully who thinks he can treats everyone however he likes... why, hi Mido!" 

Link's expression softened and he smiled a fake smile. The boy named Mido did not smile. He simply punched Link in his stomach, causing him to lose his breath. Zelda's eyes widened and she glared at Mido with disgust.

"What did you do that for?" she said angrily to him. She could not stand to see anyone treat a person like that.

"You want one, too?" Mido sneered and raised his fist. "Oh wait, who are you? I haven't seen you before..."

"Of course you haven't", Link exclaimed. "She's the Princess, I mean... her name is Zelda."

"Oh, really?" Mido's smile widened. Link and Zelda flinched warily. "So, Link, where's your fairy when you need it?"

"Shut up!" Link yelled and lunged at him. Mido had touched his weak point. 

"What are you two doing?" a harsh voice said. The three of them turned around and faced Saria. She frowned and looked at the two boys. Link had a grip on Mido's collar, and Mido had raised his fist again. Saria sighed. She knew Mido never would stop teasing Link, and Link would always look for a reason to beat Mido up. 

Link let go of Mido's collar and Mido lowered his arm. Mido smiled innocently at Saria, and then he rushed past her and disappeared out of sight. 

"Okay, what did he say to you this time?" Saria sighed. 

"It was about... you know, my fairy that I don't have", Link explained. "Saria, do you think I'll ever get a fairy?" 

"Of course you will", Saria said and smiled. "I'm sure you'll get a fairy someday too. You just have to wait and see what happens."

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"Tatl, where are we?" Navi asked. 

"I don't know..." Tatl answered. "I think we're in Hyrule soon."

"About time! We've been flying half the day without any rest! I'm tired, and my wings are aching too!" 

Navi complained and tried to catch up with her sister Tatl. The two fairies had been flying all the way from a country called Termina. They had been flying for a couple of days and they had not seen anything else but trees. 

The two fairies looked like two floating balls of light, with wings. For a person who had not seen a fairy, it would've seemed very strange. Actually, they looked like elves, just about a hundred times smaller. But they were glowing so strong that their bodies could not be seen. Their voices were shrill and frail, and sounded almost like small children. 

"Navi, I think I can see something!" Tatl exclaimed. She was floating up and down in mid-air, pointing anxiously at something further between the trees.

"What? What is it?" asked Navi curiously. 

"I don't know, but it looks like a village", Tatl said. "Let's take a look!"

"But sis, I'm tired... and I'm hungry, too", Navi complained to her older sister. Tatl clicked her tongue and shook her head. 

"Don't be ridiculous, you're always hungry or tired, Navi. Come on, we've got to see what it is! It's not far away."

Navi sighed and followed her sister. In about half an hour, the two small fairies arrived to the village. Tatl looked around, wary about anything that could be dangerous (just because if you're a fairy, you don't have anything to defend yourself with). But the village seemed almost empty. It was very peaceful, and the fairies were pleased with what they saw. Tatl began to fly towards the nearest house, but Navi caught up with her and stopped her. 

"We don't know who the people are who lives here!" Navi said. "I suggest we should wait and find out who they are, just in case... we could... take a nap or something." 

Tatl snorted. "All right, Navi, you're right", she admitted. "But I don't want to sleep outside though. What about that house?"

Navi hesitated. "The one with the curtain in the doorway? I don't know, sis, what if someone is there?"

"Navi, please. Let's just take a look, okay?"

Navi sighed deeply and followed her sister towards the tree house. It seemed empty, the whole village seemed empty, but she did not know anything about the people though, and if they looked like the people in Clock Town in Termina._ Maybe they're invisible?_ Navi thought as the house came closer. 

Tatl floated through the doorway and into the house. It had just one room, with a low bed that was made of a tree trunk, a table and some chairs, and a lot of weapons and some kind of tools. Tatl also noticed a big, open window. In the bed, which stood in front of the window, lay a boy. She floated closer to him, until she floated just above his nose. 

"Tatl, what are you doing?!" Navi cried lowly. 

"Don't worry, Navi, he's asleep", Tatl whispered. "He looks funny, doesn't he? Look at that hat..."

"What if he wakes up?" Navi snarled. 

"Don't worry", Tatl said again. "And at least we know what the people here looks like. They're almost like the people in Termina, you know."

"Come on, let's get out of here!" Navi said and grabbed her older sister by the arm. 

"No!" Tatl yelled. Navi tried to hush her, but it was too late. The young boy stirred and woke up. He yawned and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was two balls of light, which were floating about three inches above his face. He screamed.

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**A/N: **Short, I know. But I updated really soon, just b/c it's weekend and I had nothing to do anyway, so I decided to put this chapter up! I don't have anything to say, just that I probably won't update if I don't get at least 3 reviews. Please review!

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..**__


	4. Zelda's hardest decision

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Zelda characters, they are property of Nintendo or whoever created Zelda... 

**A/N:** Well, I got reviews, so now I'll put the next chapter up, too. Thanks for your support! You're really encouraging me to go on with this story! Some people asked me why Tael's not in this story yet, but who says he won't be in it? I just haven't mentioned him yet. And yes, I _know _that Tatl and Tael are siblings! You just have to read on to find out about Tael, simple as that. And don't forget to review! I would also like to thank _GuruGuru214, Anime-Master7, JoboRule, Ani1, Selah Ex Animo_ and _Hotaru1024 _for reviewing chapter 3!

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Chapter four: **The hardest decision she ever had to make**

The boy screamed. The two fairies screamed, too. Navi grabbed her sister by the arm and dragged her along with her under the bed. 

"I told you not to wake him up!" yelled Navi angrily. 

"I'm sorry, sis, I didn't mean to -" 

Link was not certain what he had seen some seconds before, but it seemed to be a fairy, no, two fairies. But what could they possibly do in his house? _Perhaps a fairy finally has come to me! _Link thought gleefully. _But I only wanted one, though..._ he got out of his bed, squatted down beside it and looked under it. The two fairies winced under the bed as though they were afraid of him. Link noticed that they looked exactly like the fairies in the village, but they would not have been afraid of him if they were from the forest, they would have recognized him, wouldn't they? They looked like two balls of light, with thin, frail wings. One of them was bigger than the other, so Link thought that one of the fairies maybe was older than the other. 

"What are you doing under my bed?" asked Link simply, bewildered.

Neither of the fairies responded, but eventually Navi pushed Tatl forward, to convince her to speak.  "Um... we were... you see... I was... well..." Tatl managed to get out. Navi sighed deeply. 

"I'm sorry, Sir, we actually had no business here at all", she said. "We'll leave..."

"No, wait!" Link said anxiously. "I've waited for a fairy to come to me for ten years now, and when one – two, actually – turns up I won't -"

"Wait a minute!" Tatl interrupted him. "When you said that you've waited for a fairy for ten years, what did you mean?"

"You should know", Link sighed. 

"Excuse me, Sir", Navi said shrilly, "but I think it would be better if we... if we introduced ourselves first. We don't know you and you don't know us. Besides, I really want to get out of here. It's pretty... dusty... and I'm allergic to dust, so -" She sneezed loudly. 

"Oh, I'm sorry", Link exclaimed. He took a seat on a rickety, wooden chair, and the two fairies placed themselves on the table in front of him. Tatl sat down (though Link couldn't see if she sat down or not) with her back against a bronze candlestick that stood on the table. 

"So, may I ask who you are?" Navi asked. 

"Um, yes... I'm Link. And you are...?"

"I'm Navi, and this is my older sister, Tatl", Navi explained. "We're not from around here, we're from Termina, actually. We also got a younger brother named Tael..."

"What happened to him? I mean, isn't he with you?" Link asked curiously.

"No, he wanted to stay in Termina when we left", said Tatl sadly. "We're from a city called Clock Town, but we wanted to see Hyrule. That's why we decided to leave Termina. But Tael met a young man in Clock Town – strange, I can't remember his name – and said that he wanted to stay with this young man instead of coming with us to Hyrule."

"I see..." Link mused. There was an awkward silence. Link cleared his throat and decided to eventually break the long silence. "So... how do you like Hyrule?" 

"We haven't exactly... seen much of it", Navi admitted. "We came through a forest, and everything I can remember that we saw was trees."

"And we saw a lake once, too", Tatl added in a bored voice.

"Yeah, we did. But that's not interesting. So... Link, could you possibly tell us something about Hyrule?" 

"I'm sorry, but I can't", Link sighed. "I'm a Kokiri, so I can't leave this forest to see anything of it.

"That's too bad", Navi said, as to comfort him.

"All of the Kokiri have to stay in the forest their entire lives", Link continued. "I've lived here for ten years and I'm sick of it already. So how will it be when I'm thirty? Or fifty? Oh my..." He bit his lip, and tried not to think about his future. "Anyway, there's a strong barrier around this forest, and the Kokiri can't go through it. A friend of mine told me... that we can't breathe the air out there or something." He shrugged.

"How do you know?" asked Tatl anxiously. "If no one has been outside the forest, how do you know you can't go through that barrier?" 

"I don't know. Perhaps it was something the Great Deku Tree told us. He's wise, and he knows everything that happens in Hyrule."

"I suppose this Great Deku Tree is a tree?" Tatl said.

"Yes, of course he is", Link answered.

"So how does he manage to see everything if he's rooted to the spot?"

"I don't know", Link said and yawned. The two fairies had waked him up in his nap though. Link suddenly got an idea, which made him wide awake. "How would you two like to be guardian fairies?" he asked. 

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"They're really cute!" Zelda exclaimed and clasped her hands together. "Look at the small one..."

She reached out her hand to touch Navi, but Navi winced and floated higher in the air. Link cleared his throat to introduce the young Princess and the fairies to each other.

"Um, Zelda, this is Tatl and Navi", he explained. "Tatl, Navi, this is Zelda."

"Which one is Tatl and which one is Navi?" Zelda asked with a confused look. "They look exactly the same, despite one of them is smaller..."

"I'm Navi", Navi said. "And I'm smaller than Tatl just because she's older than me. We're sisters, you see."

"Oh", Zelda said, beaming. "Link told me you would like to be guardian fairies -"

"Hold your horses, young lady", Tatl said. "We'll just give it a try."

"Right", Link said. "Excuse me, but I have to talk to Saria." Link left the house and went over to Saria's.

Zelda looked at the two floating balls of light with a curious and confused look. Tatl suddenly had changed color, she was light red instead of white.

"What happened to you, Tatl?" Zelda asked. "You just changed color."

"I know", was the answer. Tatl sounded really irritated. "I'm doing it just because I don't like his way to treat us. Navi, are you sure we really should do this? I mean, be guardian fairies? I don't like the idea at all." 

"I know you don't like it, Tatl, but I reckon we should do it", Navi responded. "And Zelda... we usually change color when we're happy, sad, angry – you get it. But I prefer white, it's much nicer than... Tatl, don't be ridiculous."

Tatl's color was now crimson. Zelda thought that Navi seemed to be more mature than her older sister, despite she was younger. The young girl watched the fairies for a moment, with a beaming expression. But then something suddenly hit her, her face went blank and she rushed out off the house. She had just realized something, something she had tried not to think about during the past few days.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"Zelda, dear, what's the matter?" Saria asked. She was worried about the young girl, who lay on her bed, shaking violently with sobs. 

"Leave me alone, Saria", Zelda whispered, almost inaudible. "Please", she added. 

"No, I can't", Saria said and pattered Zelda's shoulder slightly. "Please tell me what's going on."

Zelda lifted her head from the pillow and looked at the green haired girl, who was sitting at her bedside. Her face was streaked with tears, her deep blue eyes were glossy and her short green dress was all wet from her own tears. Saria felt so sorry for her, but yet she wanted to know what troubled her young friend.

"Okay, I'll tell you", Zelda said between sobs and tried to wipe her tears away. "It's... it's hard to explain... you know that I'm not a Kokiri, Saria. I'm not like you or Link. And..." She interrupted herself and let out a deep sigh. Saria put an arm around Zelda's shoulder. 

"Please tell me, Zelda", she said. "You know you can trust me."

"Yes, I know. Link has already told you about the two fairies, right?" Saria nodded. "I really want to have a fairy", Zelda continued, "but I can't, just because I'm not a Kokiri... and if I'm going to leave the forest... I don't want to go home, Saria. I want to stay here with you."

"Zelda!" Saria gasped and her eyes widened. "You can't stay here! You're the Princess, for the Goddesses sake! You've got to go back to the Castle."

"But I don't want to go back, Saria. I never liked the life in the Castle. I know my father cares about me, but he has never shown me any love nor told me that he loves me. And Impa... she's like a mother to me. She's the only person I would miss if I stayed here in the forest. My life was so complicated when I lived in the Castle, and I don't want to have it back. I'm just a child, Saria, and I can't live my life like I was an adult. But my dad never allowed me to play nor meet any of the children in the town. And it was so long ago I saw my brother."

Zelda started crying lowly again. Saria put her arms around the girl and hugged her tightly. She really liked the young Princess and wanted her to stay, but she knew it would imply problems if Zelda didn't return to the Castle. And there were probably people who looked for Zelda. Some of them might reach the forest, just like Zelda did. Zelda wasn't safe in the village. Saria told these words to Zelda, meanwhile she gently stroked Zelda's golden hair.

"I can't decide, Saria. I can't."

Link looked at the two girls who were sitting on Zelda's bed. He had not heard their conversation, but he could easily guess what they had been talking about. He wanted to replace Saria, he wanted to be the one who caressed Zelda's hair, be the one who could comfort her. He sighed deeply and quietly left the house. 

He remembered the talk he'd had with Saria earlier, before Zelda arrived to Saria's house. He knew the truth, but was afraid of it. And he couldn't believe it or accept it, yet he was afraid of what the future could hold. Mixed feelings filled his body as he headed for the Great Deku Tree's Meadow. He needed to think.

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**A/N:** There's chapter 4! What do you think? I know nothing really happened in this chapter, but Link now know the truth (the truth about what?) and Zelda have to make a difficult decision. If you want to find out more, review, and I might update! I'm also sorry if the spelling in this chapter was bad. I didn't proof read.__


	5. The Great Deku Tree

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Zelda characters. They are all property of Nintendo.

**A/N: **I just want to thank you for the reviews! ^^ They're really encouraging me to keep writing on this story, which isn't – that's my opinion – that good, but of course I appreciate reviews! I've got a low self confidence, but it's easier to believe in myself now. That's why I like writing so much. I'm probably going to post another new fic here soon, as soon as I can start writing it. I've got a lot of ideas... before I'll start writing on chapter 5, I also want to thank the people who reviewed Chapter 4: _Anime-Master7, Ani1, Selah Ex Amino_ and _Junky_. _*Ani1: Thank you. You have reviewed almost every chapter of my stories, and I really appreciate it. It means so much to me. And my thanks to JoboRule and Selah Ex Amino: Thanks for answering my questions! I still have some problems with HTML, like saving my documents and stuff like that, but you have helped me a lot! And thank you, Selah Ex Amino, for suggesting that site. The Webmonkey really helped me, too!*_

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Chapter five: **The Great Deku Tree**

"Let me pass, Mido", Link sighed and watched the so-called 'leader' of the Kokiri. Mido looked at him with an icy glare. He folded his arms and a scornful smile appeared in his face. 

"So, why would you like to talk to the Great Deku Tree? He's in a really bad mood right now", he said. 

"Please, I don't have time to discuss anything with you!" yelled Link angrily. "Just let me –"

Mido's eyes suddenly widened and his jaw dropped. He pointed at something over Link's left shoulder.

"W-what's that?" he asked and his scornful grin faded. Link looked around, and felt relieved when he saw one of the fairies floating in the air right beside him. He did not know whether it was Tatl or Navi, but guessed that it was Navi. 

"Um... she's... she's my fairy... I mean, she's with me", Link explained, not knowing what to say. He "Oh! So you've got a fairy now, too?" Mido mumbled dumbly and threw a hateful glare at Link, but at least he allowed Link and his new fairy friend to enter the Great Deku Tree's Meadow. 

"Thank you", Link said to the fairy, still not sure of whom it was. "Perhaps Mido will stop acting so bully around me from now on."

"Don't mention it", said the fairy, and Link heard that it was Navi. She landed on his shoulder, and her frail wing tickled his ear. "You looked very sad... so I thought I should try to talk to you. Where are we going?" 

"To the Great Deku Tree", Link responded. "I really need to talk to him right now. I haven't exactly talked to him before, but I'm sure he'll understand."

Navi thought for a moment. "I have thought of what you said before. You know, that you could never leave the forest... and I just wanted to ask a question about Zelda. Is she a Kokiri?"

"No. She's the Princess of Hyrule", Link explained. "She got lost in the Lost Woods and couldn't find her way back, so one of the Skull kids helped her getting to this village."

They turned a corner and saw the tallest tree in all of Hyrule, the Great Deku Tree. It seemed almost older than the world itself. Its rough bark shone as though it was made of silver, and the leaves rustled softly in the breeze. Link noticed some of the leaves were slightly yellow or brown. It seemed as though the tree was withering...

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"I can't believe I always have to do those things", Viscen sighed as he tightened the reins, causing his white steed to stop immediately. He patted her slightly on the neck, murmuring to himself: "I wonder which way it is..."

He had approached a crossing, with three different ways, each leading deeper into the Lost Woods. Viscen had absolutely no idea where to look for the young Princess. He tightened his grip around his bow as he decided to take the left road, though he had no idea where it would take him. He put a long, sharp arrow on the bow, wary about anything that might attack him. He glanced anxiously around him. He had heard the stories about Wolfos, Moblins, Skull kids and other creatures that lived in the shadows under the trees, and the thought wasn't very pleasant. Besides those stories, he had heard the legends about the 'forest people', a people who never grew up, and a giant tree, that was the spirit of the forest. Of course he didn't believe those tales. That was exactly what they were: tales. He, who was a brave soldier in the Army, shouldn't even think about things like this. He should not be afraid of battles, always strike first and not be scared of killing people.

"So why did they send me?" Viscen thought to himself. "They could've chosen someone in the Hylian Army! And what did I deserve to get a simple task like this? There are much worse things going on in Termina right now... I should be there and help my country in the battle, rather than being here, looking for some spoiled little brat that has ran away..."

He suddenly heard something. It sounded like soft footsteps on the path behind him. Viscen turned around in the saddle, pointing an arrow at anyone who might be following him, but he saw no one. He heard a shrill laughter somewhere above among the branches. In fact, it sounded almost like a little girl... 

"Princess Zelda!" Viscen yelled at the top of his voice. "Princess! Can you hear me?" 

No response. He yelled again, but heard only more shrill giggles and frail voices. It sounded like little children, but they were nowhere to be seen. Viscen became slightly irritated, but continued deeper into the forest, deciding not to pay any attention to his followers. That was exactly what the voices were doing, they followed him. He could hear them everywhere around him, but could not see any of them. Eventually, something caused the horse to rear and almost unseat Viscen. He managed to get a grip on the reins and soothe his horse. In front of him stood a peculiar creature, which looked almost like a human child; and Viscen knew it was a Skull kid. It was dressed in clothes that seemed to be made of leaves, and it had a weird, pointy hat on the top of its head. Its skin was dark brown, almost the same colour as tree bark, but didn't seem rough or anything like that. The big, glossy eyes beamed at the rider. Viscen felt as though he either wanted to fire an arrow at the creature, or turn around and escape before it could attack him.

But the creature didn't attack him; it spoke to him, and Viscen recognized one of the frail voices he had heard earlier. "What are you doing here, Mister? It's dangerous for you to be here. The forest is no place for those who don't know it."

"I... I am looking for a little girl, Princess Zelda", Viscen stammered. "She disappeared a couple of days ago. I doubt she's still alive, but they... they sent me to look for her..."

"I see. You're a brave man, I can see that you're not afraid of anything. But you _should _be afraid. There are things in the forests you can't even imagine."

"I don't trust you, and I won't take any advices from you", Viscen said, trying to make his voice sound steady. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." He rode past the Skull kid, and disappeared out of sight. The Skull kid looked after him, and then it shook its head and murmured: "You're a brave man. Maybe _too_ brave."

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Saria sat on the couch in her tree house, thinking about what she had told Link. She did not know what he would do, but it had been about time she told him. "I hope I made the right decision", she said to herself. Her thoughts were interrupted by a slight knock on the door. 

She sighed, walked over to the door and opened it. Outside the door was a bouquet of flowers, with wild roses, oxeye daisies and other flowers. No doubt that the bouquet was beautiful, the one who had picked all of the flowers had really did a good job. But Saria already knew who had given her the bouquet, and she wasn't happy at all. She wanted to throw it away, but decided to put it in a vase instead. 

She put the bouquet in a vase and filled it with some water. There was no card or anything, but she knew who had given her the flowers: Mido. He used to give her presents, flowers and similar things, and he had asked her many times if she wanted to go out with him. She refused. She loathed him, just because the way he treated the other Kokiri, and especially Link. She felt sorry for her best friend, but now when he knew the truth, they wouldn't be friends in the same way anymore. It was even possible that Link would leave her. 

But he had to know. He couldn't live his entire life without knowing who he really was. But he would have found out later anyway. It wasn't possible to hide it from him. But yet Saria was worried about what he might do. She did not want to lose her best friend. 

She threw a gloomy glare at the flowers on the table, as she heard another knock on the door. This time, Zelda stood outside the door with Tatl, who sat on her left shoulder. Saria thought that Zelda and that fairy seemed to like each other. But Zelda didn't seem gleeful at the moment, she had tears in her eyes and her golden hair was somewhat tousled. "I have made a decision, Saria", she sad and swallowed the knot in her throat. "I know what I want to do."

"So what is it, dear?" Saria asked in a concerned voice. "Please tell me, Zelda."

Zelda wiped the tears away with her sleeve. "I don't know if it's the right thing to do, Saria, but I... I want to stay."

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"Great Deku Tree, I have something I want to talk to you about", said Link nervously. 

"What is troubling thou, Link?" The tree's stifled, loud voice made the young boy jump with surprise.

"Saria has told me who I really am", Link said. "I'm a Hylian, Great Deku Tree, and not a Kokiri like they have told me. But I suppose you knew this already."

"I did. But do not worry, young one. The reason that no one told thou was that I did not allow them to. I wanted thou to discover thy real self. But if Saria has already told thou, then I will tell thou anything thou want to know."

"Please, could you tell me about my family? I want to know everything about them!" Link exclaimed. 

"I am afraid I might disappoint thou with this, Link. But thou have to know. Neither thy mother nor thy father are still alive. Thy mother came to this forest during the war ten years ago, when thou was still an infant. She was badly injured and had not long left to live. She could not penetrate the barrier that surrounds that part of the forest. When she passed away, her last wish was that her little baby boy would not die. The Kokiri managed to take the boy into the forest to protect him."

Link said nothing. To know that he hadn't any parents or any family, that he was a Hylian and that he didn't belong among the Kokiri was just too much for him to bear. 

"I won't... I won't have to leave the forest, right?" he asked eventually. "Please, I don't want to leave my friends."

"Thou do not have to leave everything just because thou are not a Kokiri, Link. Thou can live with us in the forest as long as thou want to. But this means a new experience for thou. Thou can leave the forest."

"I... I can actually leave the forest to see Hyrule?" 

"Yes. But once thou have left the forest, thou can not enter the forest again through the entrance in Hyrule Field. Thou have to go through the Lost Woods. Thou can not penetrate the forest barrier, either. But there is no barrier in the Lost Woods. The forest children, the Skull kids, may help thou to find thy way back to the village. Remember, Link, that thou are always welcome to return to the village. This is thy home."

"Thank you, Great Deku Tree. But excuse me, is there something troubling _you_?"

"No, there is not anything for thou to worry about. A child like thou should not have to worry about anything at all."

"All right, thank you. Come on, Navi! I have to tell Zelda about this!"

Link ran back towards the village, Navi floating in the air behind him. When they approached the village, however, something wasn't right. 

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"Probably attacked by a pack of Wolfos", Saria stated. Mido walked beside her with an expression of concern on his face. 

"He almost found the village", one of the Know-It-All Brothers said. "I wonder what he was up to."

"He was probably looking for the Princess, Zelda", Saria said. "She just told me that she don't want to leave and go back to the Castle."

"She has to!" Mido exclaimed. "How are we supposed to live here if we know that a lot of soldiers are looking for her? Any of them might find their way to this village. Mind you, that Hylian soldier was found just one kilometre away from the village!"

"I know that, Mido", Saria said and frowned. "But I can't tell her to go back. She has had a terrible life in the Castle!"

"We can't risk the safety of the Kokiri just because of her!" Mido yelled. "She don't belong with us, and nor does that Link! I told you not to save him that day ten years ago!"

"Don't bring that up now, Mido! That was ten years ago!"

"I don't see your point, Saria", Mido sighed. "Has he ever caused us anything but problems? And he's not even a Kokiri! He should return to his own people – now."

"No! Don't you dare to speak about him like that! He's my best friend!" Saria turned around and rushed towards her house. Mido felt awful; he really liked Saria, more than she could ever imagine. But he only wanted the best for the village. He couldn't risk its safety because of that child. A Hylian soldier had been attacked by Wolfos, and just before he was about to reach the village. He had probably been looking for the young Princess, but he hadn't succeeded to find her. But what if there were more soldiers out there? 

_I've got to get rid of her, and Link too,_ Mido thought. _I've got to get rid of them both – somehow_

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**A/N: **There's chapter 5! I know it probably was a little short, but I'll try to make the next chapter longer! I had a really hard time deciding what to call this chapter, but I decided to name it "The Great Deku Tree", even if it isn't just about the Great Deku Tree. It's hard to decide a name for a chapter if it's about a lot of things! And some of you probably recognized Viscen, one of the soldiers from Majora's Mask. I decided to use him in this story. 

*_Just a note about the older language that the Great Deku Tree speaks. I hope I got it right. And if I didn't, oh well.* _I'm sorry if I don't update as frequently as I did before, but as I said, I'm very busy. I'm glad if I can update any of my stories once a week. I hope it'll get better.To put the next chapter up, I want... 5 reviews. Yes, 5 reviews it is! So please review and tell me your opinion of this story! __

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..**


	6. People can actually change

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Zelda characters. They are all property of Nintendo.

**A/N: **I didn't get so many reviews for the last chapter, maybe because it was bad, I don't know... but I'm going to put the next chapter up too, just for you who actually want to read this story. I feel as though it's not going anywhere, but I have the feeling that this story is going to be pretty long, so that's why. I don't want this story to end after just a few chapters! I read a statement in one of the reviews, that it's not much romance in this story yet. It's because the story – in my opinion – just has begun and there are a lot of things that'll happen later! It's probably going to be L/Z romance later in this story, but I don't want to do it right now, because Link and Zelda are children in this story, and I want them to be more like good friends in the beginning. I'm probably going to add a few other romance stories as well, but more about that in the following chapters, if there are going to be any, that is. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed this story so far! My special thanks are for _Ani1_, you're really encouraging me.

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Chapter six: **People can actually change**

The following weeks were the best time in Zelda's life. She lived a happy life in Kokiri Village with her new best friends Link and Saria, and the two fairies Navi and Tatl. When they were all together, they used to take walks around the village, play all day or go for a swim in the pond. With Saria, Zelda did 'calm' things like picking mushrooms in the forest, but with Link, she learned to climb in trees, use a slingshot and a little sword and tell the difference between a Skulltula and a Deku Baba. 

If someone from the Castle had been there, they wouldn't have recognized the Princess at all. She had completely changed. Her shyness and polite behaviour had gone and she had become more of a tomboy. She didn't regret staying in the forest, she didn't miss anyone from the Castle except Impa. 

Impa had been like the mother she had never had. She could tell Impa everything, share her problems, her sorrow or her happiness with her. Impa would always understand her. Zelda was worried about her, she knew that Impa probably missed her very much. But the young Princess really liked her new life and wouldn't return to the Castle. 

The only dark cloud on her blue, cloudless sky was Mido, the so-called leader of the Kokiri people. He did everything he could to insult Link and Zelda or be mean to them, but if Saria was with them, he didn't do anything. He had not given his hopes up about a possible date with Saria. But she detested him. She knew that Mido hated Link and Zelda, but she couldn't do anything to change it. She really cared for Zelda and wanted her to be safe. The Princess wasn't allowed to walk in the forest alone, since the soldier that had been looking for her had been attacked by Wolfos a couple of weeks ago. 

And Mido... he was the one he was, and it seemed impossible for him to change. But everyone can get a second change, can't they?

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"Make sure you hold it steady", Link told Zelda. "Then close your right eye and aim for the bulls-eye."

Zelda held Link's fairy slingshot in her right hand. She slowly pulled her left arm back, then closed her eye and tried to focus on the target, which was attached to a tree branch almost twenty yards away. She released the Deku seed and watched it fly through the air and hit the target next to the bulls-eye.

"You're getting really good with the slingshot!" Link exclaimed and clapped his hands. Zelda smiled. She knew he just wanted to cheer her up, but she appreciated his praise anyway. She put a new Deku seed on the slingshot and aimed for the middle of the target. She released the Deku seed again and smiled happily as she saw it score a perfect bulls-eye.

"Wow! That was incredible!" Link said and patted her on the back. "You're almost as good as me", he added mockingly and puffed out his chest, trying to look proud of himself. Zelda laughed. She new that it was a lie; she would never be as good with the slingshot as he was. 

"Let me try", Link said and she gave him the weapon. He put a Deku seed on it and tried to aim for the target, but lowered the slingshot as they heard a distant scream. 

"What was that?" Zelda asked.

"I don't know. Let's go and take a look." When Link said 'go', he didn't mean it. He rushed through the woods in an incredible speed, so that Zelda had problems to catch up with him. When they had run for almost ten minutes, Link stopped dead in his tracks and watched the scene with horror. Zelda stopped right beside him, panting heavy, and when she was what was happening she let out a scream of fear. 

Mido was hanging on to a branch about ten feet above the ground. He looked horror-stricken and stared at the Moblin beneath the tree. That was what it was, a Moblin. The big, pig like creature roared angrily and tried to reach Mido's legs. Fortunately, it was unarmed. But the long tusks and its hostile appearance was frightening enough. 

Link handed his slingshot and bullet bag with Deku seeds over to Zelda and unsheathed his sword. "We've got to help him!" he whispered to her. "I know he's never helped us out of anything, but we can't leave him here. And remember: make sure you hold the slingshot steady!"

Link took a few steps forward, clutching his Deku Shield and sword. He realized with fear that his Kokiri blade was almost the size of one of the Moblin's fangs. Fortunately for him, the creature stood with its back to Link, and didn't see him. Mido had seen Link and Zelda, but wasn't dumb enough to acknowledge that they were there. 

Link looked at Zelda and saw that she had the slingshot ready. When she caught his eye, she released the Deku seed and managed to hit the Moblin hard in the head. Meanwhile, Link jumped forwards and stabbed the Moblin in its back. The creature turned around, just to receive a Deku seed in the eye. It roared of pain and tried to lung for Link, but he jumped out of the way and stabbed the Moblin in the neck. That was enough. 

"Oh Link, you were fantastic!" Zelda exclaimed and hugged him tightly. Link blushed a deep scarlet and murmured something inaudible. Zelda let go of him and turned to Mido, who had climbed down and approached them with a guilty – believe it or not – look on his face. For the very first time in his entire life, Link felt sorry for him. He knew this wasn't easy for him.

"I... I... I mean..." Mido stuttered and looked down to his feet. "Thanks."

"Your welcome, Mido", Link responded and looked at him. And suddenly he felt that he wasn't afraid of Mido anymore. After all, he and Zelda had saved his life, and Mido would not dare to hurt them again. 

"How... how did you know I was here?" 

"We heard you scream when we were practicing with the slingshot", Zelda explained. 

"Oh, okay... you see... I was on my way to... yeah... bye", Mido stammered and dashed off. Link and Zelda looked at each other, confused. But then Link smiled. 

"You know, I think he's grateful", he said to Zelda. "He just doesn't know how to show it."

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

After that day, Mido never did anything to Link and Zelda again. It seemed as though he avoided them and didn't want to speak to them. But it was obvious that he was grateful. Everyone in the village noticed Mido's sudden change. He wasn't the one he used to be. He didn't act bully or stuck up around the other Kokiri anymore. Even Saria began to like him more than she did before.

But in the Castle, people weren't as happy as the Kokiri. King Harkinian and Impa had begun to realize that they wouldn't see their Princess again. Knight Viscen hadn't returned from the forest, and the King had sent more soldiers to look for Zelda, but all of them had returned in a terrible state; without horses and weapons, murmuring things about lost children, wolfs as big as horses and similar things. The King thought they were insane. 

Impa sat on a small throne next to the King. Her eyes were red and puffy, it was obvious that she had cried. She missed Zelda so much, it was almost as though she had lost her own child. The little Princess had been like a daughter for her, and she loved the young girl. She couldn't bear the thought that Zelda probably was dead. She just couldn't. The Princess had been so young, so beautiful, so innocent... 

_It's my fault that she's dead,_ Impa thought sadly. _If I hadn't suggested that we would go mushrooming, she would have been alive and here right now. _But Impa realized that it was just senseless to blame herself for something that had already happened. It wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't give her Zelda back... 

"Impa", King Harkinian said and turned to his servant. 

"Yes, Your Highness?" Impa saw determination in the King's eyes and wondered what he was up to. 

"I have made a decision. I'm going to get married again. Hyrule will get a new Queen."

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**A/N: **There's chapter 6!  What do you think? It was short, I know, but I thought it was perfect to end it right there. I would be really happy if you told me your opinion of this story so far in your reviews! It's up to you to decide whether I should put the next chapter up or not.  I don't have anything to say here. I just hope this chapter turned out all right. And about the romance thing: it'll come later!

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..**


	7. The Prince of Hyrule

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Zelda characters. They are all property of Nintendo. Oh, and I do not own Marth either. Now that's off my chest, so now I can go on with the story.

**A/N: **I'm so happy I got reviews for the last chapter! Thank you, reviewers! A note about my other story: I'm kind of stucked right now, but in case you want to read it, I'll put the next chapter up soon. I know it's been a while, but I haven't given up on that story yet! I'm also going to put a SSBM fic up here soon, as soon as I get the game, that is... I've written the first chapter, but I'm unsure if I'll post it... but I hope I can get the game for Christmas! ^_^ 

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Chapter seven: **The Prince of Hyrule**

"Marth! Get up!"

The Hylian Prince let out a sleepy groan and opened his eyes. Once again, he felt disappointment when he saw the canvas around him instead of brick walls and scarlet curtains. He was lying on a hard, uncomfortable mattress in an old tent, instead of in his canopy bed. It was such a disappointment every morning when he woke up, though he had lived like this for two years now. 

"I'm comin'", he moaned sleepily and tried to get up, but the chilly morning breeze made him shiver and he wished he could stay in bed the whole day. Tael, the fairy who had woke him up, was floating impatiently in mid-air, waiting for his master to get up and get dressed. He wasn't white like the most fairies were; he had a nice purple colour instead. Marth was grateful that Tael had come to him a couple of weeks ago. The fairy and his two older sisters had been on their way to Hyrule, but fortunately for Marth, Tael had wanted to stay in Termina with him. Although they had just known each other for a couple of weeks, they were already best friends. Marth had read a lot about the races in Hyrule and knew about the Kokiri tribe, which lived deep into the Lost Woods. Each Kokiri had a guardian fairy, to help and protect him or her. 

But since Marth wasn't a Kokiri, Tael wasn't his guardian fairy, just a very good friend. But you could call him a guardian fairy anyway, Marth thought and yawned. He's watching me as though he was my mother or something!

"C'mon, you've got to get ready!" said Tael impatiently. "We'll be late otherwise! C'mon!"

Marth sighed and got dressed rather quickly. He attached a sheath with a dagger to his belt and put on his boots. He tried to comb his teal hair with his fingers, but soon he gave up trying to comb his shaggy mop of hair and made his way out of the tent. Tael was floating in front of him eagerly. Marth just couldn't understand how the fairy could be in such a good mood every day. 

The sight could actually make anyone in a really bad mood. It was rainy and chilly outside, with dark rain clouds covering the sky and no sight of the sun anywhere. The walls of Clock Town looked rather dark and gloomy, and the clock tower looked all the same as every day, high, dark and boring. Marth wished something unusual would happen...

A lot of soldiers from Hyrule and Termina had been camping outside the town for a while now, always wary about any attacks. A pack of evil creatures, including Moblins, Wolfos and Stalfos, had been lurking up among the mountains, near Snowhead, and they had even attacked Clock Town. Nobody knew what they were up to, but one thing was for sure: an evil force had been planning everything. The creatures used to attack pretty frequently, but not anymore. They had not attacked for at least a month now. 

Marth's life was as boring as usual. He sighed and went over to another tent to get some breakfast before the practicing started. Before he could reach it, however, he felt Tael tugging nervously at his sleeve.

"What?!" Marth was beginning to get really annoyed. He wanted to hit Tael, but managed to control himself. Tael had turned white, and Marth could tell he really was scared.

"It seems like there finally is something happening here. Look!"

Marth turned around. _Oh no,_ he thought before heading off to his tent to get his sword and shield. _No, please, not this! _

These were the only thoughts we managed to think before he felt someone tugging at the canvas and the tent was sent to the ground. Someone screamed, and Marth recognized a young woman's voice. He succeeded in trying to get out from under the canvas, and what he saw almost made him faint.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"Your Highness, it doesn't matter. There's nothing that matters anymore", said Impa in a defiant voice.

"But... but it's dangerous, Impa!" King Harkinian said. "I command you to stay here!" 

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but nothing can get me to change my mind", Impa said and turned at her heel, leaving King Harkinian speechless. 

She mounted the stairs and hurried to Zelda's bedroom. Once she was in there, she looked around and recollected all those happy memories she had with Zelda. She remembered how she used to sit on Zelda's bedside and read fairy tales for the young Princess before she would go to sleep. Zelda had loved to hear those tales, over and over again. Impa smiled slightly to herself as she walked over to the bookcase and picked a certain book. Its cover was a deep red, with a Triforce in gold printed on it. It was the tale of the three golden Goddesses. Impa opened the book and read the first sentences:

_"Once upon a time, before the life began, before the world had got its present form, three golden Goddesses came down from the Heavens to the chaos that would become the __land__ of __Hyrule__. They were Din, the Goddess of Power, Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, and Farore, the Goddess of Courage._

_With her strong arms, Din created the red earth. Nayru spread her wisdom across the country and sowed the seeds of Justice. Farore's breath created all forms of life that would obey the Law._

_The three mighty Goddesses returned to the Heavens and left the golden, sacred Triforce..."_

Impa closed the book, and realized she was crying. Goddesses, how I miss her, she thought as she put the book back in the bookcase. She gazed dreamily at another book that lay on the floor. On its cover was a neat picture of a knight in shining armor, fighting a dragon. The dragon looked so real... Impa remembered that Zelda had been afraid of that picture when her nursemaid had read the story to her. Impa picked up the book and turned the page. The knight had stabbed the dragon in its heart with his beaming blade. The dragon seemed to be shrieking in agony, and dark blood was trickling down its body and down on the ground. She turned to the next page, and saw the dragon lying dead on the ground with the sword protruding from its chest. Next to the dead creature was a picture of the brave knight, with a beautiful young maiden in his arms. 

"Why, everything seems so easy in the fairy tales!" Impa sighed and threw the book aside. She then remembered what she was looking for, and began to look in the drawers of Zelda's chest of drawers. There, she found what she had been looking for: the Ocarina of Time. Clutching the shiny, blue instrument to her chest, she left, aware of what she had to do. What she had to do to find out the truth.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"Link?"

"What?" Link was lying in the soft grass, gazing up into the blue, almost cloudless sky. He sat up when he heard Zelda's voice. The young girl came running through the grass, holding something in her hand. She smiled warmly at him. 

"Guess what I've got!" She hid her arms behind her back and looked impatiently at him.

"I don't know", he sighed. 

"Guess!"

"Come on, Zel, show it to me!"

"All right... look!"

She held out her right hand and showed him a weapon. But not a usual weapon; it was a bow and a quiver with arrows. The bow and the arrows were made of willow wood. Zelda beamed as she saw Link's impressive expression. 

"Saria helped me with it", she explained. "Just you wait, Link, I'll be as good with the bow as you are with the slingshot!"

"I believe that when I see it", Link chuckled mockingly. "I can help you, Zel. Saria is very good with the bow, too. I've never exactly tried a lot with it, but I'm sure you can become the greatest archer in all of Hyrule!" 

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

The camp wasn't recognizable anymore. A pack of Stalfos had attacked the camp and turned it into utter confusion. Marth got to his feet somewhat clumsy, and unsheathed his sword. He had not time to get his shield from under the canvas, so he decided to help fighting instead. He ducked to avoid an arrow that passed inches over his head, fended off an attack from a Stalfos and managed to take off its head before being knocked to the ground. He saw a pair of dark, evil eyes staring down at him. The Stalfos raised its sword, but Marth managed to roll out of the way just as the skeleton lowered it. The sword merely scratched his forearm.

He heard a young woman scream again and got to his feet again, looked around and tried to find her. He knew who it was, Cremia, the oldest of the sisters from the ranch. He'd had a crush on her when he arrived to Termina, but that was over and done with now. 

A little girl about the age of ten came running at him, with tears in her eyes, her long, reddish hair tousled and dirty. He recognized her as Romani, Cremia's younger sister. She was about the age as his own little sister, Zelda. Marth suddenly realized that he had not seen his sister in two long years. She had been eight years when he left, so she would be ten by now.

"Marth! Please help! They... they've got Cremia!" yelled Romani anxiously. 

"Romani, where is she?" asked Marth and looked at the young girl. She pointed in the direction of the town. "She was captured by one of those horrible skeletons and taken inside the town", she explained. "We've got to hurry, Marth! Please, don't let them do anything to her..."

"Don't worry, Romani, she'll be just fine", Marth tried to convince her, though there was a slight hesitation in his voice. "Come on, I've got to find someone to take you back to the ranch..."

Marth grabbed Romani by the waist and held her tightly to his body. His only thought was to protect the young girl from being hurt. He parried a slash from a Stalfos and stabbed it in the ribs, then took its head off. He could feel Romani clinging to his side, her head leaning against his shoulder. He could easily tell she was scared, her blue eyes were open wide in horror at the sight. Marth spotted a soldier on a brown horse some yards away. Calling out, he lifted Romani up and placed her in front of the man in the saddle.

"Please take her to the ranch", Marth said. "She's not safe out here!"

The soldier nodded, goaded his horse and they left. Marth looked after them, breathing heavily, before heading to the north gate. He killed a lot of Stalfos on the way, but was not hurt badly. He reached the gate with merely a few scratches and bruises. Just as he would enter North Clock Town, he felt something heavy hit his head. Clutching his sword and wincing with pain, he fell to the ground. Everything went black before his eyes.

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**A/N: **There's chapter 7! Short, I know, but if the chapters are shorter, it means I can update more frequently. I would be glad if you sent me reviews and told me what you think of story so far. It's strange, this chapter didn't turn out like I expected at all... but I thought it was about time I wrote something about Marth, too, since I barely have mentioned him in the previous chapters. A good or bad idea? I don't know, but I think this chapter turned out all right.

If you think this story isn't going anywhere: it's just because I don't like stories that are too rash, if you know what I mean. But I've got plenty of ideas for the following chapters, so if you want an update, you know what to do…

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..**


	8. Events

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Zelda characters. They are all property of Nintendo. And I guess I've got to say that I don't own Marth either, since he is in this story.

**A/N: **Omg, it's been so long since I updated this story! I'm sorry! I've had tons of homework to do since it's the last weeks before the holidays now… school is keeping me busy as usual, and my teachers are evil! I'm glad it's Christmas soon, so I can get some weeks off and more time to do what I like most – write! Thank you for the reviews I received for the last chapter! Thanks for the support, everyone!

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Chapter eight: **Events**

Marth lay on the ground, almost unconscious. His head was aching terribly, but he did not dare to move a muscle, not even open his eyes. He realized it was very quiet around him, _too _quiet. How long had he been lying there? It must have been for hours, for the battle seemed to have ended. 

He recollected that he had helped that little girl... Romani. She had told him about her sister, who had been captured by a Stalfos... he had tried to run to the town, but someone had hit him in the head... and then everything had gone black. 

He felt as though he was aching all over and realized that he should try to move, but it was too dangerous. He didn't know if any of the soldiers were still alive, and there might be some Stalfos left. But it was so quiet... he suddenly heard heavy footsteps approaching, and nigh stopped breathing when he heard voices – muffled, hoarse voices, which surely belonged to a pair of Stalfos. They had a peculiar accent, and it was hard to catch all the words.

"Where did they go?" one of them said, obviously displeased.

"Dunno", responded the other one meekly. "They fled... inside that town, I think. Look, there's another..."

The two Stalfos approached him and Marth felt one of them poking on him with the point of a sword. Marth held his breath and prayed to the Goddesses that they would walk away and leave him alone again. He did not want to think about what they would do with him if they found out that he was still alive.

"Dead, obviously", one of the Stalfos grunted. Then Marth felt how his sword was wrenched loose from his grip, one of the Stalfos had examined the weapon and was apparently pleased. 

"Look at this", he growled to the other, "he's from Hyrule."

"Yes, there's that triangle mark", the other said. "Take it, he won't need it anymore."

They let out a howling laughter that sent chills down Marth's spine. The two Stalfos eventually disappeared and he finally dared to open his eyes again. It wasn't a very pleasant sight that met his eyes.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"Oh, I wish I knew this place", Impa sighed. She had reached a clearing in the middle of the forest, and had totally lost her way. The forest was peaceful and quiet, with birds chirping and the breeze rustling in the trees, but yet it was ominous. The Sheikah woman had never been this deep into the forest before, and felt a sudden desire to turn her horse around and leave. But she couldn't, she had to find out the truth about the Princess' disappearance.

A sudden sound on the other side of the clearing disturbed the silence. She turned towards the sound, which sounded like a quiet rustling in the leaves in one of the trees. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to see something, but whatever it was, it didn't show itself. Impa shrugged it off and continued over the clearing, but stopped as she heard the same sound again. 

A little child jumped down from one of the trees and caused Impa's horse to rear. She tried to calm the horse down, and patted her old mare soothingly on the neck but kept an eye on the peculiar creature. It looked as a Hylian child, but yet it was something strange about it, like its clothes and its funny hat. The child gazed up at the woman with dark, glossy eyes, and suddenly grinned widely.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but are you looking for a little girl?" The child's voice was high-pitched and shrill. Impa looked at the child, astonished.

"Yes, I am, actually", she replied. "I am looking for the young Princess Zelda. She disappeared in the forest some days ago. How did you know...?"

"I could tell you were looking for her, because your horse has got the same triangle mark on its saddle as the young girl's dress had", the child explained. "I talked to another brave Hylian some time ago, and he was here to search for that little girl too. I told him to be careful, but he did not listen to a word that I said. But I think you will listen to me. Am I right?"

"Yes..."

"Good. I found the poor thing out here in the forest when she lost her way. She told me everything, so I decided to take her to the village. I am keeping an eye on her, although she doesn't know it. She is happy now, and she doesn't want to go back to Hyrule Castle."

"What? She... she doesn't want to return? But she has to! She's the Princess of Hyrule! She can't..."

The child raised its hand, to stop Impa from talking. "If the Princess doesn't want to return to her former home, then nobody can change her mind. Children have a strong will."

"You don't understand!" Impa yelled. "I care about Zelda! I love her... she is like a daughter to me, like the daughter I never had... I want her to be happy, yes, but still I want her to be safe! I want to be where she is, to protect her. That is what we Sheikah are supposed to do!"

"I know, I know", the child sighed. "I know how it feels to loose someone you love. I know, because I lost all of the people I knew when I got lost in this forest and became a Skull Kid. But sometimes you've got to accept your fate. You can't decide about the young Princess' life."

"You... you are a Skull Kid?" Impa frowned and looked at the strange child. Then something suddenly hit her and she shouted: "Tell me what has happened to Zelda! Is she a Skull Kid now, too?" The child slowly shook its head. "Then tell me where she is, please! I want to see her again..."

"I'm afraid I can't, ma'am", the child replied and it seemed like it was crying. "I can't. It's not my fate. And Princess Zelda is not a Hylian anymore. She is a Kokiri now... I am sorry, but I think you should leave now."

The Skull Kid disappeared out of sight. Impa let out a scream of anger, frustration and sorrow. She had lost Zelda, lost her forever, and there was nothing she could do. With one last gaze at the shadows beneath the trees, Impa turned around to leave. Not only did she leave the forest, she also gave her old life up. Without the young Princess nearby, her life flame seemed to have burned out.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Since Zelda had come to the forest, Link noticed a change in his own behavior. He didn't know what it was – he wasn't old enough to fully understand what love meant. But he knew he liked Zelda very much, he wanted to be where she was, listen to her voice, laugh with her, play with her... they were just innocent children now, but a bond seemed to have appeared between them, a bond that would be stronger over the years. 

In a few years, the two Hylian children would be closer, be something more, but they didn't know it yet, and didn't bother about their future either. They lived for the present, for today and not for tomorrow. They were way too young to understand the mysteries and problems of a teenager's life. 

Right now, Link and Zelda were living in the peaceful village, and their lives were as perfect and cheerful as they possibly could be. Zelda had nearly forgotten her former life as a Princess, everything except one thing: a Sheikah woman with grey hair, blue, sparkling eyes and silver tears painted below her eyes... a Sheikah woman in armor, with a sharp dagger in her hand, a tense and strong woman who never showed her feelings for anyone, except for Zelda... a sad, unhappy woman with no family, forever destined to serve Hyrule's Royal family... a woman who was the closest thing to a mother that Zelda had ever had.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

There weren't any living souls as far as they eye could see. Marth gasped in horror at the sight that met his eyes. Dead bodies covered the ground, the grass was stained with blood and an unpleasant smell hung in the air. Marth got to his feet and looked in the direction of the town. It looked just the same, yet it was something strange about it. It looked so... deserted, like there were no people left. 

The first thought that flashed through the Prince's mind was about Tael. He had no idea where the fairy could be... he realized how much he missed Tael once the fairy wasn't with him. 

"Tael?" he yelled, and the echoing of his own voice gave him an uncanny feeling. "Tael? Can you hear me?" His last words were almost inaudible, as if though he didn't dare to disturb the silence. He felt so alone without Tael, the fairy had been with him every day for some time now, and he missed the fairy's company.

_Cremia, _Marth then thought. _Oh Goddesses, I've got to find her... _

The red haired ranch girl was one of the few people in this country Marth really liked, maybe he liked her as _more_ than just a friend... when he had arrived to Termina, the two sisters from the ranch had been kind and friendly to him... he had to rescue Cremia, if it was possible. But he was injured, and without a weapon. The least thing he wanted was to take one of the swords from the corpses around him, but decided that it would be the wisest thing to do. 

He headed straight for the North gate to Clock Town, trying not to notice the horrible scene that lay before him. When he reached the northern part of the town, things weren't as he had expected. The town was empty, at least he could not see anyone. When he turned a corner and came to the eastern part, he heard a sudden sound at his left, raised his sword and easily killed the Stalfos that had attacked him. His head aching terribly, he headed down some stairs and reached some sort of square. There were some shops, a milk bar and an inn. Marth had known the woman that owned it, her name was Anju, and he prayed that she was still alive, even if he doubted that. 

Muffled voices from the lower part of the town reached his ears as he got closer. Two Stalfos were standing there, with spears in their hands instead of swords, their dark, glittering eyes staring at something at the ground. Marth recognized the dress and the red hair. Since there weren't so many red haired girls in Termina, Marth realized who it was. It was Cremia, and as she didn't move at all, Marth realized that she was obviously dead. He let out a cry of despair, causing the two Stalfos to turn their heads in his direction. Marth saw the spear that was sent flying against him a second too late. 

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**A/N: **Oh my, that chapter was _very _short – and probably very boring, too. You see, I wasn't in a mood of writing, but I felt guilty just because I haven't updated any of my stories in ages. I'm sorry for that, it'll get better, at least I'll try do update more frequently.

_I'm sorry for any spelling errors in this chapter, too. Please be gentle if you review, I didn't look at the spelling before I posted this chapter._ And that was a really bad title for this chapter, I know, but it's hard deciding a title when the chapter is about a lot of things. I've got some really good ideas for the next chapter! (I think... -_-;;) It's mostly written from Link's POV, I can tell you. In case you want me to put the next chapter up, please review! I'd love to hear your opinions about this story. 

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..**


	9. Leaving

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Zelda characters, they are all property of Nintendo. I do not own Marth either, since he is in my story too. 

**A/N: **Oh my, thank you for the reviews I received for the last chapter! That made me really, really happy! Here are my thanks to _Anime-Master7_, _ShadowedVengeance_, _GuruGuru214_, _dan heron_, _Selah Lahai Roi_ and _Katsy_. Thanks for the support! My special thanks this time are for _Selah Lahai Roi_, for your long, nice review! You had a lot of interesting points there, and it was greatly appreciated. A few words about this chapter, too: It's a pretty long chapter, and mostly written from Link's POV. I've tried writing with POV's before, and it's a funny way to write. I hope it's not confusing, and if it really was bad, I would like to know it if you review. Thank you.

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Chapter nine: **Leaving**

Marth's POV

Headache. 

The pain was so intense, I could barely move at all. The first thought that flashed through my dizzy mind was the question _"Am I still alive?"_ But as I didn't think there would be any pain in the heavens, I realized I was still alive, with a sharp pain in my left shoulder, a splitting headache and an intense thirst as well. It took a couple of minutes for me to recollect what had happened. I had seen Cremia's body, and had been hit by a spear, which had caused the deep gash in my shoulder. My sight was all hazy, but I realized that I was outside the town, on the back of a horse. Now wait a minute. On the back of a horse? 

A man was walking next to the horse's head, holding its reins. A ball of purple light was sitting between the horse's ears – Tael! How glad I was to see him again! 

"Tael! It's really you!" I exclaimed, causing Tael to wince, the horse to neigh and the man to turn around and look at me. It was... something strange about him. Not only was he carrying the biggest backpack I had ever seen, he also wore strange, purple clothes and had fiery red hair. But he smiled at me. I smiled back politely. 

"That was about time, son", he said with an odd laughter. "Beginning to think you would never wake up, were we, Tael?"

"Where are we? How long have I been here?" I asked. 

"We are halfway to Hyrule, young man", the stranger said. "I found you two hours ago, outside Clock Town. You looked bad, so I decided to take care of you for a while. Attacked by Stalfos, weren't you?"

"Yes, that's right." I nodded. I realized I was wrapped up in a warm, woollen blanket. The cold drizzle fell into my eyes, but it hurt too much to move, so I let it be and turned to Tael. 

"I was separated from you and I couldn't find you again", he said. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Marth."

"It's all right. I missed you, I never thought I would feel so alone."

_Romani, _a small voice in the back of my head said. _You would save her, wouldn't you, Marth? What is she supposed to do? She is only a child. _

"Tael, what about Romani?" I said desperately. 

"Don't worry about her, Marth", the fairy said. "One of the knights from Hyrule took her with him. She couldn't get to the ranch; the Stalfos had placed a huge rock on the Milk Road. She'll be all right."

I felt very relieved, but I tried not to think about anything as we approached the edge of the deep forest between Termina and Hyrule. After two long years, I would finally see my home again... by that time, I didn't know anything about the changes I would face.

"We should be in Hyrule by nightfall." It was the stranger's voice. I thought about asking him about his name, but I think I blacked out before I could. 

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Four years later, Link's POV

"You think I can't do it because I'm a girl, don't you?"

"What?" Zelda's voice awoke me from my thoughts. I gave her a confused look. She had an irritated expression on her beautiful face. Her golden hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, her sky blue eyes gazed at me, and she had her hands impatiently on her hips. I felt very uneasy when she looked at me that way, it felt as though she was fully able to look right through my body. Literally. 

"You think I can't do it because I'm a girl, don't you?" she repeated with an impatient sigh. 

"No, I don't", I said to defend myself. "You're much better than me. I just..."

"You just _what_?" 

I hated to argue with her, but sometimes she went on my nerves. Well, it's just natural for teenagers to argue, isn't it? Right now, we were talking about shooting a bird down from a nearby tree with the bow. Sometimes I said things I didn't mean, and hurt Zelda. She knew I was stronger and faster than her, and she wanted to be better than me at something. And she was: I wasn't as good as her with the bow. In fact, I was pretty bad. I had practiced with the sword instead of trying to become a good archer. 

"Nothing. Fine, you can do it. I don't care."

"All right, as you wish", Zelda said with a superior smile. I watched her pull the bow string back, put an arrow on it, and aim carefully. I had not a clue what she intended to shoot, but I heard a zipping sound and a dove fell to the ground, the arrow protruding from its chest. Zelda smiled at me, and headed back to the village.

I had to admit, she had grown up. She wasn't the little girl I remembered anymore. I guess you could call her a young woman, she was soon fourteen after all. How did the time pass by that fast? Zelda wasn't a Princess anymore, she had left everything about her former life behind her a long time ago. Sometimes I thought about what would have happened if she hadn't got lost in the forest that day. Now I was just glad that I met her. I couldn't deny that I had been developing feelings for her, but I was sure she didn't like me the same way. She thought of me like... like an older brother. It was like we really _were _siblings, and the Kokiri people kept saying how similar we looked with our blond hair and blue eyes, our pointy ears and length... we were so different from them, yet so similar.

Sometimes I thought those secret thoughts, thoughts I would never share with anyone. I thought of growing old with Zelda, have children, moving out of the forest to see Hyrule... to discover the country _together_... but I always forced those thoughts out of my head. What were those thoughts, anyway? I wasn't supposed to think of things like that... we were only fourteen, just children, yet it seemed like I had been trapped inside that damn forest for a lifetime.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"Hey, Link, are you here? I want to talk to you." It was Saria, my... best friend? To be honest, I wasn't sure about that anymore. I had been spending a lot of my time with Zelda, and since Saria had gone out with Mido that day, she said they were 'going steady', and she spend mostly of her time with him or with the other Kokiri girls. It's true, Mido and Saria – if someone had told me that several years earlier, I would have laughed – _very _hard - but people can actually change. Mido had not been the same person since Zelda and I saved him from that Moblin. 

"I'm here, Saria! What is it?" I sat with my back against an old tree trunk. Saria sat down just opposite me in the soft grass, looking anxiously at me. Once again, I got that uneasy feeling. Why do I always feel so... so strange when I'm talking to girls? Now where did that childish innocence go? When I was younger, I could talk to anyone, well, except Mido, but that was before that incident with the Moblin... I had really changed over those four years! I didn't recognize myself anymore. 

I had intended to let her speak first, but suddenly I heard words coming out of my own mouth: "I think I'm leaving, Saria."

"I'm not surprised, Link", she said slowly. "I thought you would leave the forest years ago. But you and Zelda are actually growing up, and I guess the forest is too small for you two."

She said it in a way that made me chuckle. "Maybe you're right. I feel trapped here, Saria. I need to see different things, talk to different people... I don't have anyone to talk to..." I interrupted, how would I say that? That I didn't have anyone to talk to about my problems? No, that wasn't the right word. I guessed the Kokiri wouldn't understand even if I told them everything – the things I knew, to be exactly – about puberty. Surely Saria liked Mido very much, but would she understand the feelings I had (or thought I had) for Zelda?

"You like Zelda, don't you?" Oh damn, she asked me. Why are girls so complicated? Why did she have to ask me that question _now_? Well, I had to answer it anyway. 

"Honestly, yes I do." 

"I see." Oh no, she giggled in that _very _girlish way. "Well, I know you're not the Link I used to know... you have grown up, and so have Zelda, but I don't know much about what you're passing through."

"No, I know."

"But I think it's time for you to leave this forest. To have lived here for fourteen years is long enough for a Hylian... oh, Link, you're still my best friend and I'll miss you terribly if you leave."

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"If you're leaving, I'm leaving too", Zelda said firmly. "I can't stay here alone, and I want to see what have happened out there since I came here. I wonder how Impa took it that day..."

"If we went to Hyrule Castle Town, we would find out", I said eagerly. "I can't understand why I'm leaving this forest _now_ – when I've been here for fourteen years."

"Maybe we could stay in the Castle, until we had found another place to stay", Zelda suggested. 

"I thought you didn't want to live in a Castle ever again?" I said. 

"You're right, we – I can't return to the Castle. Maybe we could stay in Kakariko..."

"Kakariko?"

Zelda suddenly stood up again and walked over to the open window. She gazed out at the sunlit village, which seemed more peaceful than ever before. 

"Maybe we could stay with Impa", Zelda exclaimed. "She has a house in Kakariko village, and I'm sure she would love to see us – me… again."

"That's a wonderful idea", I agreed and nodded, but I wasn't really aware of what she just had told me. I was thinking again, thinking of touching her lithe, delicate body, kiss her... I had to stop those stupid thoughts now, they were getting way too far. She didn't think of me as a possible boyfriend, did she? Probably not. 

"I think we should leave in a few days", I heard myself say. Zelda turned around and – to my great surprise – hugged me. It was just brief, but I could feel her body against mine and her hands around my neck. I hugged her back, unsure of where to put my hands. She let go of me and smiled a happy smile. When did I start developing so strong feelings for her, anyway? She was just a very good friend for at least three long years, but since then, something had happened to me. 

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

We left Kokiri forest three days later. Before we left, Saria gave me something. It was a tiny Ocarina, cool and smooth, a little instrument that the Kokiri used to play. I hadn't played the Ocarina before, but I had always wanted to be a really good player, just like Saria. Sometimes she played a really nice tune, a tune that reminded me of the forest... when she first came up with that melody, I called it _Saria's song_. 

"Thank you, Saria", I said, hugging her. 

"You remember my song, don't you?" she asked me. 

"Yes, of course I do."

"If you ever want to talk to me, play my song", Saria explained. "Then we will be able to talk to each other again..."

"All right, I'll try it", I replied and put the tiny instrument in my bag. "Come on, Zelda, I think we should get going. Good bye, Saria, I'll miss you. And... thank you."

She just looked at me, smiling. Zelda and I turned around and faced the edge of the forest. What would meet my eyes out there? I had never seen Hyrule before, and I couldn't imagine it. The Kokiri village and the Kokiri people disappeared between the trees, and none of us looked back. They belonged to our past now, and it was time for us to look forward. 

Hyrule Field was big. Okay, it was more than just _big_. It was... vast, that's the word I would like to use. I had never seen a field that big, with trees and grass as far as the eye could see. Right in front of us was a hill, and I couldn't see what was behind it. To the west I could see the silhouette of a house far away, but I wasn't sure of what it was. I could also see a stone wall and a high mountain range by the horizon to the east. 

"We won't manage in getting to Kakariko village in just one day", I heard Zelda state. "I think we should spend the night on Lon Ranch..."

"Lon what?"

"Lon Ranch", she explained and pointed at the house silhouette to the west. "I have been there once before, with Impa. A man called Talon owns the ranch, and he lives there with his daughter Malon and the worker Ingo. Talon and Malon are nice, but I remember I didn't like Ingo. There was something I didn't like about him... I can't remember what though."

Then there was an awkward silence. I thought about things I could possibly say to Zelda, but each time I tried to talk, no words came from my throat. Why did I feel so uneasy around her? We were the best of friends! But it was obvious that I felt a lot more about her now. How would I know if she felt the same? Should I tell her about my feelings? No, of course not, what if she didn't feel the same way? Oh Goddesses, love was complicated! 

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**A/N: **There is chapter 9, and one of the longest chapters yet! I hope it turned out all right! I really enjoyed writing this chapter from Link's POV, so I might do that in the following chapters too, if it was good. What did you think? Do you want to see it in the next chapters? I thought about writing from Zelda's POV too. And there you have it, romance… I know nothing has happened between the two yet, but it's just a matter of time! There might even happen something between Link and Malon… It's pretty hard to write about a person's feelings like that, but I tried to do my best. In the next chapter I'll also write about the King and the new Queen, and what happened to Marth when he returned to Hyrule.

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..******


	10. The day I experienced love

**Disclaimer: **This story is pure fan fiction, and I do not own any of the characters in it. The Zelda characters are all property of Nintendo.

**A/N: **Thank you so much for the reviews I received for Chapter 9! Greatly appreciated, as usual. Some of you had some really good points there. Obviously, most of you liked the POV thing, so I guess I'll keep writing that way, 'cause that's the way I prefer to write. I might write from different people's POV's, too. 

I read a statement that you would flame me if I added the Link/Malon pairing, so I guess I won't. Now this isn't a Malink, it's never been, and never will be! It was just a thought, and remember I'm an avid L/Z fan myself. You didn't want a love triangle either, but as I just said, there probably won't be one. 

_Moonteargirl_, you had some questions, and since your review was anymous, I couldn't send an e-mail to you. Here are the answers. #1: Good point. I don't think I'll write anything about that, and this story isn't OoT. It was just something I wrote, I guess. Am I being to cruel now? #2: Good question, I'm not quite sure about that yet. She might come back, she might not. I didn't write about what happened to her. #3: I did that just because it was weird! Thanks for the support, everyone! Read and enjoy!

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Chapter ten: **The day I experienced love**

Link's POV

We arrived to Lon ranch by nightfall. A girl about our age stood by the gate, as if though she had expected us to come. I understood that it was Malon. It was almost dark outside, and I couldn't see her face.

"Hi, Malon", Zelda greeted her. 

"Hi", Malon answered. "Who are you? I haven't seen you two around before…"

"My name is Zelda…" I heard Zelda begin.

"Zelda?" Malon sounded surprised and a little suspicious. "Your name is Zelda? Where have I heard that name before…? Oh yes, the Princess was called Zelda! But you're not the Princess, are you? You can't be – she disappeared four years ago and everyone says she's dead…"

I could hear a quiet gasp from Zelda. Of course we had been expecting this, she had, after all, been 'lost' for four years. What would people say about her sudden return? How would we explain it? I decided that was a problem we could deal with later. Zelda didn't answer Malon's questions, she pretended she hadn't heard them. I felt Navi tugging at the inside of my hat, and I took it off to let her out. I couldn't see Tatl, but I thought she was asleep somewhere among our luggage or something. When Malon saw Navi's clear, white light, she also seemed to notice me. 

"And who might you be?" she asked me. "And what's _that_?" 

I guessed she meant Navi. "I'm Link, and this is Navi", I answered.

"I haven't seen anything like her before. Is she… Is she a fairy?"

"Yes, and I do have the ability to talk", Navi said in an irritated voice. I tried to shush her, but Malon didn't seem to notice. 

"Then you can't be Princess Zelda", she stated. "I mean, if you have a fairy… You must be from the forest, aren't you? I've heard strange stories about children and fairies and things like that, but I never believed those tales…"

I nodded. "We really are from the forest, and trust me, those 'tales' are true." I quickly changed the subject, before Malon could say anything. "Can we possibly spend the night here, and then we'll tell you everything?"

"Yes, of course!" Malon exclaimed. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting. Follow me, I think my Dad has the dinner ready."

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Talon looked just as I had imagined him: in the middle of his forties, with dark brown hair pulled back into a short ponytail, a short beard, dark, nice eyes and a remarkable big belly. I couldn't stop wondering what had happened to Malon's mother, and what she had looked like. It was the same feeling I got every time I thought about _my_ parents. I didn't know anything about my past, or my family, but I did know that my mother had taken me to the forest, trying to protect me from something. I wished I knew her name, what she looked like, what kind of person she had been… But I would never know. 

It got quite complicated when Talon and Malon started asking us things. Zelda would frequently give me a kick in the shin when I was about to tell something she didn't want to reveal. She told them that she did not know about a Princess called Zelda, and that she and I had been raised among the Kokiri, since we were both orphans. We did not know anything about our families, but we were on our way to Kakariko, to look for an old friend… And Zelda was good at lying, I think she convinced both of them. 

Since Zelda took care of the talking, I had plenty of time to look at Malon through dinner. She was very cute, no doubt about it. She had long, red and wavy hair, which reached down to her waist. Her skin was fair and she had some freckles on her nose. Her eyes were about the same color as Zelda's and mine, but a bit darker. She was dressed in simple ranch clothes, a white and purple cotton dress, a brown leather apron and a yellow shawl wrapped around her shoulders. When I realized she seemed to notice my – I guess you could call it staring – I hastily looked away. 

Halfway through dinner, we heard a firm knock on the door.  "I'll get it", said Malon and went to the door to open it. She immediately flinched when she saw the person out there and hurried back to the table with a worried look on her face.

"Who is it?" Talon asked anxiously. 

"Ingo", Malon said quietly. "And I think he's drunk."

"Oh no, not again", Talon said with a deep sigh. "I think he told me he was going to do a delivery in town, not visit the pub!" 

"You know what he's like", Malon said. "I think… I think you should go outside and talk to him, Dad."

Zelda and I looked at each other. Then I asked, "Who is Ingo?" 

"He's the farmhand on the ranch", Malon explained. "Neither I nor Dad likes him, but we can't fire him. We need him, because we can't do all the work here ourselves."

"But can't you just find another worker?" Zelda asked.

"Well, no… I don't know why, but I think it has something to do with the Queen's orders… She's really ruling Hyrule with a rod of iron."

"The Queen? Who is she?" Zelda asked. I knew she wanted to know, because that had to mean that her father had remarried.

"She calls herself Queen Rose", Malon told us. "But she's not as sweet as it sounds. You know, you can always listen to a lot of gossiping each time you visit Hyrule Castle Town. Last week, I heard that the King decided to remarry after his only daughter, Zelda, disappeared. That was four years ago. Oh, I really wish that Princess Zelda hadn't disappeared… If she hadn't, then she would be the heir to the throne one day… But now, the King and the Queen's firstborn son or daughter will."

I looked at Zelda. She didn't look at me, she was staring at her empty plate. I wished, more than anything, that I could have read her thoughts right then.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Zelda told me that she wanted to go to bed early, and Malon showed her to the guest bedroom upstairs. I didn't think she was tired at all, she just wanted an excuse to think things over once again. It suddenly hit me: what would Zelda and I do if we couldn't find Impa in Kakariko? Where would we go? 

Malon came downstairs again, and I helped her with the dishes. I really liked her, she was so nice to me, and very easy to talk to. After the first two or three minutes of uneasy silence, we talked and laughed as if though we had known each other for our entire lives. 

"So, Malon, how do you like living on a ranch?" I asked her. 

"Well, I like it, but it can be hard sometimes. When I want to sleep in instead of doing my morning chores, I can't, because there's always something that needs to be done. And it's mostly me who does all the work. My Dad is very nice and all, but he's very lazy too, and he often falls asleep in the middle of something. And Ingo… I don't trust him, so he's not allowed to do anything with the animals, especially not the horses."

"You really like horses, don't you?"

"Oh yes, I love horses!" I could see the joy in her eyes as she spoke. "They're so nice animals. I don't understand how anybody ever could abuse a horse or treat it badly. Speaking of horses, would you like to see them?"

"I don't know… it's late."

"Don't worry, they're still in the corral. Could you help me taking them to the stable?"

"Yeah, sure."

The corral was very big, and there were about fourteen horses there. Most of the horses were a light brown color, with darker mane and tail. There were also some foals in the corral, and they were adorable. One of them was just a couple of days old, and it walked nervously around its mother. Malon and I laughed softly as the little horse lost his balance and fell into a heap on the ground. The mother was there immediately, poking on him with her nose to check that he was okay. 

There was one horse that didn't look like the others at all. She was young, about four years, and had a remarkable appearance with her reddish fur and white mane and tail. I liked her from the first time I saw her.

"This is Epona", Malon explained, patting her slightly on the neck. "She's my favorite horse."

"I think she's mine, too", I said, patting Epona just as Malon did. Epona put her nose on my shoulder, and I laughed and stroked my hands over her soft neck. 

"She likes you, Link", Malon said softly. "She hasn't done that to anyone else but me before. By the way, do you want to play a song for her?"

"A song?" I asked, bewildered.

"Yes. My mother…" Malon interrupted, and I could see that her eyes went glossy with tears. Apparently she didn't want to think of her mother. "She used to sing for the horses, and that could always soothe them", she managed to say.

"I have an ocarina", I said and pulled out the tiny instrument Saria had given me from underneath my tunic.

"What a cute ocarina!" Malon said cheerfully. "I know, I can sing and you can play to the song. It's not difficult. Listen to this." She sang a short, nice song and Epona lifted her head. She seemed to like that simple song. It was composed of three different notes, and I would play them twice. It was pretty easy, and soon Malon sang and I played. The horses in the corral stopped neighing and it seemed like they all listened to our duet. When we eventually stopped, Malon smiled warmly at me. Why did I get that uneasy feeling again?

"You're good at playing the ocarina", she said. 

"Thanks", I answered. "It was the first time I did it, though."

There was an awkward silence. Malon took a few steps forward. We were so close that I easily could have touched her face. She looked at me with those big, blue eyes, sparkling in the pale moonlight… 

"You're right", I said quietly. "The horses liked it."

"So did I", she breathed. 

"I… I think we should take Epona and the other horses to the stable", I said and took a step backwards. 

"What? Oh, right." Was it just my imagination, or seemed Malon a little… A little disappointed over something?

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Impa sat on a stone bench in the Castle Courtyard, reading a book about the Sheikah people. She had found it in the library, and she was curious to know more about her people. She was one of the last Sheikahs, but she didn't know much about them. She only knew that the Sheikahs used to move around, but the last Sheikahs had settled down in Kakariko village, and Impa herself had been born and raised there. She had moved from the village when the accident with her family happened. But she still owned her family's house in Kakariko, although she had lived in Hyrule Castle for many years now. When Princess Zelda was born, and the former Queen had died – Zelda's mother – Impa had taken the task to raise the young girl as her own daughter. But now Zelda was dead, at least that was what everybody thought. Impa had begun to lose her hope, it had been four long years, after all… Impa sighed deeply, turned the page and read on with interest. 

_"The Sheikah, or the Shadow People, is one of the few human races that can commit magic. Their ability to use magic has been feared by other people, and there are not many Sheikahs left these days. For instance, on of their abilities is to disappear from a certain place and reappear in another. The Sheikah people are also very good at playing different instruments, like the harp. Long ago, the Sheikahs were well known and respected by the other races of Hyrule. But under the government of a family with the name Dragmire, approximately four hundred years ago, the Sheikahs became less well liked, because of their magic power…"_

Impa didn't have the time to read what happened to the Sheikahs after that, since a sudden sound was heard. She looked up, and saw the Queen approaching. She looked as lovely as ever, with her light brown hair pulled back into an elegant bun in her neck, wearing a scarlet, sleeveless dress made of velvet, and a sweet smile on her lips. But Impa wasn't betrayed, she knew this woman too well. She had served Queen Rose for four years, and those four years had been the worst of her life. The Queen wasn't cruel, she was more than that, she was evil. 

"Impa", the Queen said in a sweet voice, "what are you doing out here? I am sure you have some chores to do, am I right?" 

"But, Your Highness, I've got a free afternoon today", Impa explained. "His Highness told me…"

"Do not listen to my dear husband, he does not know what he is talking about", the Queen said with a soft laugh. "Of course there are things to do! I think you should be in the kitchen right now, Impa, instead of being out here, wasting your time… What is that?" 

She seized the book Impa was holding, and merely looked at it. "You should not be reading things like this, I am certain that a servant will not understand it." She laughed, as if though she was talking to a little child.

Impa stood up, clenching her fists. She felt a strong, sudden desire to hit something, for instance the Queen's pretty, smiling face. But she didn't, she simply curtsied and walked away, muttering curses about Queen Rose. Of course she didn't go to the kitchen, she went to the library, her favorite place in the Castle. It was a big, high-ceilinged room, with a few fireplaces that kept the huge room warm during the winter. There also were several staircases, balconies and high bookcases. Some of them were so high that there were wooden ladders, which were used to reach the books on the highest levels. The walls in the Royal library had wooden panels and dark, red wallpaper, instead of the grey, cold stone walls in other rooms in the Castle. The library had just five windows, facing west, but they were almost as high as the whole room, and they let in the setting sunlight. 

The library was Impa's favorite place, and it had also been Zelda's. Impa closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, she could easily imagine a seven year old Zelda, running between the bookcases with a cheerful smile on her adorable face. She could even hear her shrill voice: _"Impa! Please read me a story, Impa! A story!" _

Impa said aloud: "Which story would you like to hear, Zelda?" 

_"Please, Impa, read the story about the three Goddesses and the Triforce and how Hyrule was created to me! I love that story."  _

"As you wish, Princess", Impa heard herself say. Then she sighed deeply and sank down in one of the comfortable, leather armchairs by a fireplace, staring into the crackling flames.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Zelda's POV

Link and I stayed at Lon ranch for a whole week, and I really loved living there. Malon was so nice, and we soon became the best of friends. That was a new thing to me, I had never had a so close friend before, well, except for Link, but Malon was a girl just like me, and we shared the same interests. Back in Kokiri forest, Saria had meant almost the same to me, but I probably wouldn't see her again.

Malon, Link and I spent much of our time together riding. I had not ridden a horse myself before, and this was also a new experience for me and Link. Since Epona had become so fond of him, he often rode her, and they fit so well together. It was like… Like Link could read Epona's thoughts and she could read his. Link only needed two days, and then he looked like he had been riding horses for his entire life. I wasn't so lucky, but Malon taught me and she was a good teacher. She had ridden on the horses on the ranch since she was just a few years old, and now there wasn't anything she couldn't do on the horseback. 

I guess you could say that there was just one problem – Ingo. He often came home drunk after a night in town, and I could hear him shout and speak thickly to himself downstairs, and I was so afraid of him where I lay in my bed. I wondered how Link, who slept on a couch in the living room, could stand it, but he said that he simply locked the door.

I had never seen Malon as angry as she was when she saw Ingo whipping one of the horses. He had tied a thick rope around the horse's neck, tied the rope to the stable wall, and used a long, leather whip with an iron lash. Malon simply seized the whip and took it from him, released the poor animal and looked as though she wanted to lash Ingo with the whip, but she didn't. I think Talon had a serious talk with Ingo then, and he never did it again. 

The week we spent on Lon ranch had to be almost the best days of my life. The three of us once rode to Lake Hylia, and since neither me nor Link had ever been there before, I was truly amazed at the sight. The lake was deep with clear, pure water, which was so clear that one could easily see the bottom of the lake. Malon told us there was an ancient temple on the bottom of the lake, by the little island in the middle of it, but I didn't believe her. Why would there be a temple beneath the water surface? That was, of course, before I knew about the Zoras, something I would learn later. 

I wished that we could stay on the ranch, but it wasn't possible for us. What if someone came, someone from the Castle? What would they do if they did recognize me? Therefore, it was safer for me and Link to go to Kakariko to find Impa. She had to be there, and she was the only person that could fully understand how I felt. 

The night before Link and I would leave, I went to the corral to say my goodbyes to the horses, since we had left them out in the corral that night. I had become very fond of a young horse, named Ophelia, and Epona, of course. It was late at night, almost midnight, and I doubted that anyone was still awake. The stars were sparkling and flickering at me up in the dark night sky, and it felt as if they were shining just for me, where I was standing all alone outside the gate to the corral. I went inside, and let out a shrill whistle. Ophelia lifted her head and as she saw me, she began trotting to me, and when she stopped, I leaned my head against her soft, strong neck and whispered quiet words to her. 

"You're so beautiful, Ophelia", I told her softly. She looked at me with those big, glossy, dark eyes, and I knew she understood every single word I said. "I will miss you. I will miss everything on the ranch, but I have to go…"

Ophelia was, like Epona, looking rather strange compared to the other horses in the corral. Her fur was white like snow, and her mane and tail were the same clear, white color. On her nose, she had a round, black spot, which was also pretty strange. But I liked it; it made her special. Sometimes, Malon and I used to call her 'Spot'.  

"Yeah, she's beautiful, but not as beautiful as this girl", I heard a voice, certainly Link's, say. I turned around to face him. He was sitting on Epona, apparently he had been out riding. And I thought he was asleep… But now that I thought about it, Epona had not been in the corral either. Link patted Epona on her neck, and then swung himself down from her back. I noticed how graceful he looked around her… Graceful… 

"Hi, Link", I greeted him with a smile.

"Hi, Zel, what are you doing out here?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I should as well say goodbye to Ophelia. I'll miss her."

"I'll miss Epona, too", he said with a sad smile. "But that's the way things are. You know, I still miss my friends in Kokiri village. But I'm certain I'll see them again someday."

I sighed deeply. "I really miss Impa, but I know we'll soon meet her…"

Link didn't say anything, he just took the saddle and the snaffle off Epona and put them on the ground. Then he gave her some lumps of sugar from his pocket. I chuckled softly. "That's not good for the horses, you know. Malon told me."

"I don't care", he laughed. "It's just a few of them, and besides, she's worth it. We rode to Lake Hylia and back again in no time! I think she's the fastest horse in Hyrule."

"Maybe it depends on the rider", I heard myself say as I took a few steps closer. Link nodded thoughtfully, then turned back to Epona, saying something to her. I did not catch it, but my thoughts were already far away. I watched him, from his brown Kokiri boots to his blond hair and green, long hat, and I was thinking. Over four years, he had really changed. He wasn't the little ten year old boy I knew by  the time I arrived to the forest – he was starting to become a man. I hadn't really thought of that before, but it was true. And when I thought of it, I also realized that he was – what can I say? – well, that he was handsome in a way. Of course, he was just a child, like me, a fourteen year old, but beyond his childish appearance, I could see the man he would become in a few years. 

When he turned around to face me, I saw how handsome his face was, for the very first time. His deep blue eyes were looking at me, and I wondered what he was thinking. Right then, I wished that I could have read his thoughts, to find out what he was thinking about me. I watched the features of his face, every single detail of it, from the long, pointy ears and the long, golden bangs to his – probably – soft lips and dark eyelashes. He was looking at me the same way, a little wary, but very curious. I liked the feeling, but it never hit me that it obviously was a kind of love. But what would happen next was the proof we both needed. 

Don't ask _me_ how it happened. I think I took a step forward at the same time as he did, and in just a second, we were closer than we had ever been before. His eyes were only inches from mine. I found myself hoping that he would kiss me.

And he did. The moment seemed so perfect, with the horses around us, the cool, calm night and the stars that were watching us from above. Link just leaned closer to me, and suddenly his lips were on mine, and they were just as soft as I had thought. Nervously and anxiously, I put my arms around his neck, because it seemed right at the time. And I felt his arms wrapped around my waist, and… 

The perfect moment was abruptly ended by a loud swearing by the house. It was Ingo. Link and I broke apart and we both laughed awkwardly. I was a little disappointed that our moment together had ended so abruptly, but all in all, I became another person then. 

Things wouldn't be the same between him and me anymore. And we both knew it.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"Marth!" Marth looked up, he had been reading a book by one of the fireplaces in the Royal library. He saw a young girl, by the age of twelve, coming running towards him with an eager look on her face. 

"You have to be quiet in here, Romani", he said mockingly. "It's a library, after all…"

"I know, I know!" said Romani impatiently. "That's not important! Look at this one!"

"What do you mean?" 

Romani made a face and rolled her eyes at him. "Very funny, Marth. This dress, of course. It's new, and I'm going to wear it on the ball next month!" It was a nice, white dress, with a broad, velvet ribbon around the waist, in a deep scarlet color. It matched Romani's hair color perfectly.

"Oh, it's beautiful… I think it suits you." The young red-haired girl beamed and ran off, waving happily at him. He waved back, smiling. Four years ago, he and Romani had been in Termina, but both of them had been rescued and had returned to Hyrule safely. Romani wasn't born noble, but Queen Rose had immediately been fond of her, and now, Romani was one of the most spoiled children in Hyrule. King Harkinian saw Romani as some kind of replacement for his first daughter, Zelda, Marth's little sister.

When he had returned home after two years in Termina, Marth couldn't believe that his younger sister had disappeared. He had loved her so much, but who hadn't? If she had been alive, she would have been fourteen years old by now… He could just imagine what a beautiful young girl she would have been… But now, Marth began to see Romani as a younger sister, though he still felt grief for another girl, a young woman named Cremia, whom he had lost in Termina, that day four years ago. It was senseless to mourn, however, it wouldn't bring her back. After her death, Marth had realized how much she had meant to him. 

He would probably never see her again. But still, there was hope left. Hope. Hope that they all would find out what had happened to the young Princess Zelda, that day four years ago, hope that Cremia was still alive, hope that he would live to see the end of the Queen's government. Those things sounded ridiculous to him, he admitted that – but what would a person be if he hadn't any hope? Nothing.  

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**A/N: **There, another chapter done. This one didn't turn out like I had expected, especially not the events in the end. The thing between Link and Zelda had to happen eventually, though. I don't think this chapter was too bad, but then, it's up for you to decide, if you review. Please, no flames, they are - in my opinion - just senseless and I wouldn't appreciate them. Anyway, see you in the next chapter! It should be up here in just a few days, if I'm not too busy, celebrating the New Year and all! Please review and tell me what you think! 

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..**


	11. Reunion

**Disclaimer: **This story is pure fan fiction, and I do not own any of the characters in it. The Zelda characters are all property of Nintendo.

**A/N: **Next chapter, people! Thank you so much for the reviews I received for chapter 10. I would like to give my special thanks to _Selah Lahai Roi_, for your long, nice review, and _GuruGuru214_. But, of course, every review is very appreciated. Anyway… one of you who reviewed told me that Marth actually is from a game called _Fire Emblem_. I didn't know that, I just know him from _SSBM_, but thanks for telling me. 

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Chapter eleven: **Reunion******

Nightmares. They had been haunting Impa in her sleep for four long years now. They were nightmares about events that had taken place over forty long years ago, though she remembered them so well. She had been a young girl at the time, perhaps nine or ten years old. She'd had those nightmares frequently ever since it had happened, but when she first had met Zelda, the nightmares had ceased… But now, they were disturbing her sleep once again, and they had been ever since that day when the Princess disappeared. 

She tossed and turned in her sleep, stirring, but not waking up…

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Flashback, 42 years ago, Kakariko village

"Impa?" A woman with dark brown hair, soft, chocolate brown eyes and a gentle voice, was calling for her nine year old daughter.

"Yes, Mother?" A young girl appeared in the doorway. She had brown hair just as her mother, but hers was a bit lighter. She had big, beautiful blue eyes and her skin was pale and smooth. She wasn't dressed like other Sheikahs were, since her family, Shakin, thought it would be safer for all of them if they pretended not to be Sheikah. Impa had never understood why, but if her mom and dad told her so, it was probably right. 

"Could you go and get some water from the well, sweetheart?" asked her mother, Threa. She handed her daughter a wooden bucket. "I need some for dinner."

"Okay", the young girl said and left the house. Outside, she could hear the cuccos, voices talking and children laughing. The usual sounds. The Shakin family was only one of the Sheikah families that had settled down in this village. It was Kakariko, the second biggest town in Hyrule. It was a very peaceful and cosy village, situated on the slope of Death Mountain. 

When the bucket was filled with water, it was very heavy, and it was hard for the young girl to carry it. When she almost was back at the house, however, a boy and girl appeared as if out of nowhere, and the boy, not watching where he was going, bumped into Impa with such force that they both fell to the ground and Impa dropped the bucket.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sis", the boy apologized and reached out a hand to help her up. "I wasn't watching where I was going. I didn't see you…"

"It's all right, Khiro", Impa said. "But now I have to go back and get more water…"

"Don't worry, I'll do it", Khiro said quickly and took the bucket, heading to the well. "Take Weara with you and go home, Impa." She nodded firmly. Khiro, thirteen years old, and Weara, seven years, were her siblings. She also had another elder brother, who was in guard duty at Hyrule Castle. Sometimes Impa thought it was quite hard to have so many siblings, because she could never be alone. If she wanted to be alone and just think, she used to go to either the graveyard or the windmill. But when she thought about it, she loved her family and couldn't think of what she would do if she wouldn't have them. 

She could not live without them. Little did she know that soon would happen. In a few months, her worst fears would come true. 

About an hour later, the Shakin family had gathered to eat their dinner. There were Impa, Khiro and Weara, and also their mother Threa and their father Shiru. Today, Impa thought that her mother seemed very happy, for some reason she didn't know. She wanted to ask, but her parents started talking about it at the same time. Shiru cleared his throat and said: "Your mother and I have something we want to tell you."

"What is it, Dad?" asked Weara curiously. 

"You'll see, Weara. Just be patient."

"In about seven or eight months, we'll have another member in this family", said Threa happily.

At first, the three children gazed at their mother without saying anything, until they realized what it meant.

"Are you going to have a baby, Mother?" Khiro asked. She nodded.

"And I'm going to have a little brother or sister?" Impa asked, unable to hide her enthusiasm.

"That's right, Impa", Shiru answered with a smile. 

It was true that Impa wished she hadn't had so many siblings sometimes, but the thought of a baby… It would be just wonderful, and she would help her parents in finding a name for the new-born, raising it and playing with it. She thought about it for a moment, and then decided that it wouldn't matter if the new baby was a boy or a girl. She was just excited at the thought of another little brother or sister. 

Some months passed, and nobody in Kakariko had any idea of what had happened in Hyrule Castle Town. An evil man from the western Desert had come and threatened to conquer Hyrule Castle. And now, he and his underlings were on their way to Kakariko. 

Impa had to help her parents with a lot of things. Her mother had morning sickness every day and was now five months pregnant. Her parents had told her that it soon was time to prepare for the new baby's arrival. Impa would turn ten in a few weeks, and then, her father had told her, it was time for her to learn more about the Sheikah culture. 

"It's a Sheikah's duty to serve the Royal family", Shiru told her. "We Sheikah's have done so for centuries. When you're old enough, it's time for you to take a job at the Castle, just like your brother. It's our tradition that the heirs to the throne have a Sheikah attendant. You will learn more about that later, when the time comes. Until then, I have something for you."

"What is it, Dad? What is it?" Impa asked curiously. She was a child, and like all children, she loved surprises. Shiru showed her an old harp, a lovely instrument, made of pure gold. Its strings rang with a magical sound, and when she touched it, Impa knew this was a magical harp.

"Oh, Dad… It's beautiful."

Her father nodded. "It belonged to your grandmother before she passed away. I want you to have it. Take good care of it, and I want you to practice with it often. Maybe you can become as good as your grandmother with the harp. It's one of instruments that are special for the Sheikah people."

She hugged him and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I want to play it right now", she said cheerfully. She left the house and headed for the graveyard, one of the places where she went if she wanted to be alone. Most of the children in the village were afraid of the graveyard and the gravekeeper, Dampé, but Impa wasn't. 

In the far end of the graveyard, there was a big, ancient tombstone, and beneath it was the tomb of Hyrule's Royal family. Impa liked that tombstone, though she didn't know why, and she used to sit behind it when she wanted to be alone. The surface of the tombstone was covered with strange letters, letters she didn't understand, since she could only read Sheikah. Above the inscriptions was a pattern of three tiny triangles, forming one bigger triangle. She guessed that it was the sacred Triforce. Threa had told her about it. 

Impa sat down behind the tombstone, and placed the harp in her lap. She started pulling the strings, and was surprised that the sound was so clear, it really sounded magical. She would ask her parents if they could teach her some songs later. When she sat there, playing on the instrument, she felt completely happy. From that moment, she loved her harp more than anything. She loved playing music with it, and as she sat on the graveyard, she came up with a few songs herself. When the sky started turning dark, she decided it was time to go home. Her mother would probably have made dinner already, and now she felt guilty for not helping her. 

The first thing that made her feel suspicious as she approached the village, was the smell of fire. The second thing was the frightening scream of a young woman, a scream of agony. Impa had never heard a scream like that before, and she wanted to cover her ears and scream herself. She had no idea what had happened, but she had to find out. Clutching the harp tightly to her chest, she looked around at what had been the peaceful Kakariko some hours earlier. Now, it was like hell. Some of the houses were on fire, others had burnt down to ruins already. Women on horses were riding through the village, killing or hurting everything that moved. Impa had never seen women like those before. Their skin was darker than hers, and their hair fiery red. They had scimitars in their hands. Their clothes looked also different. It was clothes made for a life in a hot desert. Impa had almost never seen a woman wearing pants instead of a dress or a skirt before, but these women did. They also had big, valuable gems on their foreheads and all in all, they looked very spiteful. Impa wanted to hide somewhere, though she didn't know where. She wanted to go home, to her parents, her brother and her sister, but their house was too far away, and it would be too dangerous. But she couldn't leave her family. 

She prayed to the Goddesses that the desert women would not find her, as she tried to get to the house of the Shakin family. Luckily, she was small for her age and none of the women on the horses saw her. They were probably too busy searching through the village for survivors and kill them, too. Impa succeeded into getting to her home, but was horrified at the sight of it. It had not been burnt down, but the door had been destroyed and she couldn't see anyone.  Her worst fears came true as she realized that the house was empty. They were all gone, probably killed by those evil women… But she couldn't see any dead bodies, and guessed that her family at least had tried to escape. 

"Mother? Father? Are you here?" She decided to try. No response, but a tiny sound… Where? It came from one of the rooms upstairs… She literally flew up the stairs and into her parents' bedroom. The room was a mess, but she did not care. Her father sat on the floor. 

"Dad!" She exclaimed, relieved. "I'm so glad to see you! Are you hurt? Where are the others?" 

"Impa…" Shiru fought with the words. "Don't worry. Not hurt… Badly. Do not worry about me. They are… captured, I think. Don't look for them, Impa… Too late."

"No", Impa said, deadpan. "No. This can't be… it's not true."

"I know how you feel", her father said quietly, and it took almost all of his strength to say those words. "Listen. Go to… the Castle. Go there. Talk to someone. Tell… them… what have happened."

Impa hugged him tightly, though he cried with pain when she touched his wounds. He had been stabbed with a knife, and his clothes were covered in blood. Impa cried silently against her father's shoulder.

"I'm sure there's someone who can help you", Impa said, though she knew it wasn't true. "Please, don't give up…"

"I will never give up, Impa", her father managed to say. "Never. And… You won't, either. Go… The Castle… Tell… Believe in the Goddesses… They'll guide you… Never forget about your family, Impa, or who you truly are… Promise?"

"I promise, Dad", she said, tears flowing freely down her cheeks and onto her father's bloodstained clothes. 

"That's my girl." He tried to smile and say something more, but the words were stuck in his throat and he couldn't say anything. His body grew limp, and he shut his eyes with a silent sigh. 

"I love you, Dad! Can you hear me? I love you…" Impa gave her father a kiss on his cheek and cried even more as she realized that she couldn't give her father a funeral or anything he had wanted to have… She couldn't do anything for him. 

Her life changed right then, and she became somebody else. She would grow up to a tense and strong woman, a woman who never showed her feelings. But for the rest of her life, she would carry the grief of what she had lost at the age of ten.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Impa woke up the way she always did after one of her nightmares. Panting heavily, drenched in cold sweat. She was used to it now, but those nightmares had begun to change her life. She wasn't as tense and self-restrained as she once had been. And now, ever since Zelda's disappearance, she had begun to think of the events in her childhood once again. She did not know what had happened to her sister, her brother and her mother. There was a possibility that they were still alive, but she highly doubted that. 

She had never thought that they could still be alive. She had always thought that they died that day when Kakariko was attacked, but what if they hadn't? She remembered her father's words so well: 

_"Never forget about your family, or who you truly are…" _

The next morning, Impa sat in the Castle courtyard again, but this time she had her old harp in her lap. She had found it after hours of searching, and when she looked at it, it felt as though she had got her childhood back. She pulled one of the strings carefully, and listened to the clear, high tone. She pulled another one, and this time it sounded darker. She tried to play one of Princess Zelda's favorite songs on the harp. It was called _Zelda's Lullaby_, or that was what Impa liked to call it, since she had played that song for Zelda every night before she would go to sleep. Zelda had loved hearing her nursemaid reading her stories or playing songs… 

Impa lowered the instrument and put it on the bench beside her when she saw the crown Prince, Marth, approaching. "Good morning, Your Highness", Impa said, but Marth shook his head. "You know you don't have to use titles, Impa. I think they're disturbing and they're just driving me crazy. It's like you were less worthy than me or something."

"All right, Your… I mean, Marth. I… I wanted to talk to you…"

"Sure, go ahead."

"There is a list over the citizens in Hyrule Castle Town, right?" she asked anxiously. The answer could mean a lot for her. 

Marth furrowed his brow slightly, and then he said: "Yeah, I think so. Why exactly are you asking?"

"I lost my family long ago, and I've never thought about the possibility that some of them could still be alive. I want to find out, and that's why I'm asking you."

"I think I can get it for you. My Father once explained for me that you have to get your name written on the list when you're moving to this town or Kakariko, or something like that. If anybody in your family lives here, their name should be on the list… But if they're not…"

Impa nodded firmly. She really hoped that they would find a name, just a name… "Do you want to take a look at it right now?" Marth asked her. 

"Yes, if it's not too much trouble", she said, and managed to stop herself from adding a 'Your Highness'. 

"Of course not. I don't have anything to do now, anyway."

One or two hours later, the Prince and Impa were sitting in the Royal library, turning over the pages of countless books. Impa stared at the thick tome in front of hear, and right then, she thought it seemed quite hopeless… 

"What's your last name?" asked Marth suddenly. He was checking the Hyrule Castle Town list and the list over the citizens in Kakariko village, too.

"Shakin. Have you found anything?"

"No, not yet. Wait… T… That's too far, S… Here, and I think they're all Sheikah names… Sattin, Sezai, Segun… Here it is! Shakin…"

"You found it?" Impa was unable to hide her enthusiasm. She hadn't felt that way in a long time. 

"I'll read the names to you… There are two Skakin families, obviously; on here in town and one in Kakariko village. Here we go: Shakin Amon, Shakin Kiona, Shakin Oviae… They live here in town. Do they sound familiar to you?"

Impa shook her head. What if they didn't find her family? Maybe she had been hoping in vain? 

"All right, then, I'll read the names of the family in Kakariko, then… Shakin Esthe, Shakin Ryla, Shakin Tato, Shakin Weal…" He looked up from the book. Impa looked very disappointed. None of the names sounded familiar to her, except for the last one. That could have been Weara, but it obviously wasn't.

"I don't recognize any of those names", she said heavily. 

Marth didn't know what to say, so he just said: "Oh. Um… That's too bad…"

"I'll visit them, Marth", said Impa suddenly. "Maybe they know something…"

The teal haired Prince looked at her. Impa suddenly realized that Marth and Zelda didn't look like they were siblings, there were hardly any resemblances between them. Then Marth nodded. "All right."

"Thank you, Marth", Impa said with a smile. Her first smile in a very long time.

"You're welcome."

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Link's POV

I really enjoyed the time Zelda and I spent on the ranch. We started getting closer than we had ever been before, and I was sure that the event in the corral that night was one of the reasons. Maybe we were ready for a serious relationship? 

It was hard to say goodbye to Malon and Talon, though we all knew that Zelda and I would be visiting them again. Malon and Zelda had become really good friends, and neither of them wanted to part when they had begun to know each other. 

Malon and I were standing in the corral, and I whistled loudly. Epona, who was at the far end of the corral, lifted her head and began trotting towards me and Malon. "Hi, girl", I said softly and patted her on the neck. She looked right at me with her dark, understanding eyes, and I felt that I didn't have to say anything to her. She understood everything I said to her, and I felt as though she could read my thoughts, too. 

"I'll miss you, Epona", I said sadly. "But I promise I'll come back someday."

Malon looked at me with a mischievous smile. "Surprise", she said simply. 

"What?" 

She rolled her eyes and then smiled. "Epona, silly! You've grown so fond of her, and she of you, obviously… And I thought that you could keep her. She's fully grown now, so we would have sold her anyway."

"Really? I can keep her? Thank you, Malon." I gave her a hug, and I noticed that she blushed, but apparently she didn't want me to see it.

"You're welcome", she mumbled shyly. "It's no big deal, you're my friend, and…

"I'll return the favour someday", I said with a smirk. "I promise. Come on, Epona, I bet Zel is waiting for me… us."

Zelda and I spent the ride to Kakariko imagining how our future would be. She thought we would be living with Impa in the village for some years, and we would have animals, cuccos, dogs and cats and the Goddesses know what more. We would end up marrying each other and live a peaceful and happy life… _Girl stuff, _I thought, but I didn't know whether she was joking or not. Well, we probably would live in Kakariko for a few years, I thought, but after that, I would move to Hyrule Castle Town and try getting a job as a soldier or a knight. I had always thought that being a knight seemed so cool, and I had become really good with the sword by now. I guess you could say that fencing was my passion.

When we left Lon Ranch I sat in front of Zelda on Epona's back, and I could feel her gentle hands wrapped around my waist, a feeling that sent chills down my spine. Epona could easily carry us both, since we almost hadn't any luggage at all. Navi and Tatl had made themselves comfortable between Epona's ears. I could hear them talking to each other, and by judging of their voices, they were also excited over going to Kakariko. We arrived to the village about three in the afternoon. It wasn't very big, but it was the biggest town I had seen so far. There were a lot of small, cosy brick houses, some stores, a watchtower, a big windmill and a well in the middle of the village. I could see cuccos and people, hear voices, laughter and a soft creaking from the wheel of the windmill, a sound that obviously could be heard in the whole village. 

"Impa told me about her old house here in the village", I heard Zelda say. "But I don't know where it is, though. I think we have to ask someone."

"All right", I agreed and urged Epona forward. In the middle of the village, under a big tree, stood an old man. He looked quite irritated, and was muttering to himself.

"Excuse me, mister?" I asked. He looked up at me, and was apparently surprised at the sight of a horse. "Who are you? I've never seen you two around before", he stated, his voice irritated, yet curious. 

"We have just arrived", I explained firmly. I didn't want to elaborate. "Do you know anyone here in the village called Impa?" 

He seemed to think, but then he shrugged. "Nah, don't think so. Do you know the last name? That might help."

I looked at Zelda, but she slowly shook her head. "Strange, I don't know her last name", she mused. 

"I've never asked her…"

"No, unfortunately we don't", I said to the old man. 

"Well, I don't know anyone with that name", he said with another shrug. "I'm pretty busy right now… I'm the leader of some carpenters in this village, and they're supposed to work with that building over there. See?"

He pointed at what would become a red brick house. I couldn't see any workers around it. "It'll be this village's Shooting Gallery", the carpenters' leader told me. "But my carpenters think it's more fun running around and killing time instead of working", he continued with a sigh. "You know, I don't think that Gallery will ever be finished."

"Um… That's too bad", I said quickly. "Sorry for bothering you." 

"What shall we do?" I asked Zelda. She had furrowed her brow and seemed to be thinking. "I think Impa once told me that her house was situated in the upper part of Kakariko, the part near Death Mountain… Maybe we should go up there and take a look."

"All right. I'll leave Epona here, I don't think she would want to climb all those stairs…" I tied Epona's reins to a nearby tree, and then I followed Zelda up the steep stairs. I hoped silently that we would find something, anything. But what if we had come here in vain?

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

After visiting the Shakin family in Hyrule Castle Town, Impa was even more disappointed. The Shakins hadn't known anything at all, but they had been very hospitable and almost forced her to drink three cups of tea, though she hated tea. The father in the family, Amon, had told her to go visit the Shakin family in Kakariko. They didn't know them, but there was a possibility that they knew something about her lost family. 

So now she was on her way. She didn't use magic, because she needed some time to think it all over once again, and she did it while she was riding to the village. She had borrowed one of the Royal horses, but didn't even think about what the Queen would say if she found out. Impa tried to goad the horse to go faster, she wanted to arrive to Kakariko today, after all. When she didn't succeed, however, she gave up and let the animal have it its way. She could always spend the night on the Inn in Kakariko and visit the other Shakin family the next day. She didn't want to go to her own house, it just reminded her of the happy memories of the time when Zelda had lived in the Castle…

She indeed wished that she'd had a picture of her family, so she could have showed the Shakins what her family had looked like. They maybe did remember that – if they were the right ones… Everything Impa had owned in her childhood had been lost during the attack of the Gerudos, so she hadn't anything that could remind her of her family. But she could never forget what they looked like. Nobody could ever erase the pictures that she kept in her mind. Now she knew that the evil women with the fiery red hair and scimitars in their hands were the Gerudo people, and she had loathed them ever since she found out. 

She arrived to her home village in the late afternoon, and it was almost dark already. She saw the setting sun disappear behind the mountains around Gerudo Valley. The moon rose beyond the Lost Woods, but Impa didn't want to think about the forest right now. That always reminded her of another person she had lost.

She thought it was too late to visit the Shakins, so she decided to spend the night at the Windmill Inn. She had been there before, and it was a cosy inn, situated near the windmill. It was a white brick house with a red roof and three floors. On the first floor were the lobby, a restaurant and a pub. When she entered the Inn and asked for a room, one of the receptionists offered to take care of her horse, but she answered that she wanted to do it herself. She went to the stables, which were situated next to the Inn, and looked for a place where she could leave her horse. She found an empty stall and left the horse there, making sure that it had hay, oats and water. When she was on her way out, however, she noticed the horse in the stall next to her own. 

It had a peculiar color, with reddish fur and white man and tail. She hadn't seen a horse with that color before, had she? She thought about it for a moment, then shrugged it off. She was tired, but she would order something to eat first.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Zelda's POV

It was Link's idea that we would spend the night at an inn in the village. There was just one, named the Windmill Inn. It was better to spend a night there for 15 rupees than sleep outside anyway. We had found the house we thought was Impa's, but it was empty and dark, and when I peered in through the living room window, I found the room inside very dusty, and realized that the house had been empty for a few years. What had happened? When I lived in the Castle as a Princess, my nursemaid used to spent her days off in that house…

We sat at a table furthest from the bar, drinking a bottle of Lon milk each. I had learned to really like that drink during our time on the ranch. We didn't speak to each other. I was lost in my own thoughts, half asleep, and maybe that was why I blamed my imagination when I spotted a tall, grey-haired, armoured woman enter the Inn and walk over to the bar. _That's funny_, I thought, _she looks just like Impa… _I yawned widely and looked at Link. He was watching me with a concerned look in his blue eyes. 

"Do you see her? The woman over at the bar?" I asked him. 

"You mean her with the armor? Yeah, I see her… She looks a little… Different." 

"She looks just like Impa. If I could see her face, I could tell if it was her or not."

He nodded thoughtfully. Right then, the woman turned around, apparently looking for a free table, and our eyes met. Though she was at the far end of the room, I could easily see the look in her eyes, a mix of a lot of emotions: surprise, concern, glee and fear. I guess she could see the same in mine. I let out a loud gasp of surprise.

"Zel, are you okay?" I heard Link ask.

"It's her, Link! It's Impa!" I exclaimed. I saw that Impa began making her way through the crowded room, towards our table. 

"Really?" I saw Link watch Impa closely in the corner of my eye. But most of my attention was at Impa. It really was her, and after four long years I was finally going to meet her again! 

Impa made her way over to our table, her face as deadpan as ever, but I thought I could spot a tiny smile in the corner of her mouth. I watched her anxiously and I held my breath without realizing it. How would she react? What would she say? Would she tell everybody at the Inn? No, if she still was the same trustworthy Impa I knew, she wouldn't.

Impa stopped right in front of me, looked around anxiously, and then knelt down and gave me a giant hug.

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**A/N: **There's another chapter done, and it's number 11 already! I'm sorry if this chapter was a little dull, but I had to explain a lot of things in it. I'm pretty happy with this chapter. You like? In that case, please review! Dislike? Review anyway, so I'll know what I can do better until next time. That's it for now, Happy New Year and see you in the next chapter!

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..**


	12. A plan and yet another reunion

**Disclaimer: **This story is pure fan fiction, and I do not own any of the characters in it. The Zelda characters are all property of Nintendo.

**A/N: **I am truly happy for the reviews I received for the last chapter, and first of all I want to thank you who reviewed! I read a review of one of the former chapters, and you stated that I updated each chapter really fast. Do you know why? With this story I haven't got a case of writer's block, and I'm thankful for that. When you receive so many nice reviews, it's easy to keep going on with your story. I do know almost all of the storyline, but I'm not exactly sure about the end yet.

I know some of my chapters have been really, really short, but I'm trying to change that. The song I've written down below is a song I listened to recently and thought was really, really good! So I wrote it down, since I thought it would fit in the story (L/Z romance, hint hint). *_*This chapter contains a few events that I would like to thank _foofbunny_ for. Thank you, for writing about that dream in your review, and for letting me use it!** _

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Chapter twelve: **A plan and yet another reunion**

_If I could turn back time, if I could find a way_

_I'd take back those words that hurt you, and you'd stay_

_If I could reach the stars I'd give them all to you_

_Then you'd love me, love me like you used to do._

Zelda's POV

I could hardly believe what happened. When I started turning blue and croaked: "Impa, you're squeezing me to death!" she released me, apologized and sat down by our table, her usual expression returning to her face – yet I could see the anxious, eager look in her pale, blue eyes. 

"If you weren't Royal, Princess", she stated with a mock smirk, "I would give you a good beating right now. For disappearing and making everyone more worried than you ever can imagine…"

"Impa, I can explain everything", I said hastily with a glance at Link. "But I don't want to do it here, though. Can we go to our room instead?" 

"Oh, sure", she answered. "I guess the dinner can wait."

When we came to our room, I saw Impa turn up her nose slightly as she saw it. It was, after all, a room for about 15 rupees, and it had rickety wooden beds, a dirty carpet and a small, dusty window. The room was pretty dark, but I saw Link take a seat on one of the rickety beds, I sat down beside him and Impa sat down on a chair that stood beside the bed. Was she angry at me? No, probably she just wanted an explanation. 

"So, Princess", Impa began, "I'm not sure if you want to explain everything yet, but you could at least assure me that you're not dead."

"I'm not dead, and I've never been", I said with a tiny smile. "I'm sorry, Impa. I'm sorry for causing so many problems, but I just did what my heart told me to do."

Impa nodded, and I was sure she understood how I felt. "That's right. So you decided to stay in the forest, am I right?" 

"Yes, you're right." And then I explained everything to her, and I think I explained a few things to Link as well. Neither of them interrupted me, but it took about an hour for me to explain everything. "… and then we searched for your house, but since we couldn't find it, we decided to spend the night on this Inn", I ended my long explanation. 

"I see. Now let _me_ explain everything to _you_", Impa said. I nodded approvingly. "When you disappeared in the forest that day four years ago, I went back to Hyrule Castle Town after hours of searching. I could not find you, so I went to the forest again the next day, but the only thing I was able to find was a wooden basket with mushrooms. Of course I had heard of the things that lived in the forest, like giant wolves, talking trees, huge flowers and Deku scrubs, fairies and children that never grow up…" 

I saw Link's funny expression and laughed. Impa shoot me a confused look. "Never mind", I said.  She shrugged slightly and continued. 

"Your father sent many soldiers to the woods to look for you, because His Highness was always very fond of you, Princess Zelda."

"He was? Well, he didn't exactly show it!" I spat angrily. I couldn't help it. During the ten years I had been living in the Castle, I had never been exactly happy. I couldn't remember anything about my mother, and the closest thing to a mother I had ever had was Impa, but she could never replace the caring and gentle woman she had told me that my mother had been before she died. I couldn't believe that my father had been very fond of me, either. He was always busy with his duties and never had any time to talk nor play with me. Sometimes I would even loathe him. When I did, I felt so guilty, though I didn't know why. 

"Zelda… Let me tell you something", Impa said softly. I resisted against the urge to say something more, but I didn't. "You have never known anything about your mother", Impa stated. I slowly shook my head, and looked at Link. He was watching Impa with anxiousity.

"Do you want me to tell you about her?" I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. 

"Your mother's name was Veilla", Impa continued. "It's not a Hylian name, but I think it's part Sheikah. I never knew your mother's last name, but she got the name Harkinian when she married your father, seven years before you were born. She was only 18 at the time, but a very truthful and fair Queen, maybe the best Queen Hyrule has ever had… The same year as she became Queen, she also became pregnant with her first child. That child was a son, and your parents agreed to call him Marth."

I let out a gasp of surprise. My brother? I hadn't seen him in so long… The memories I had of him were happy memories from my early childhood. Marth, who was six years older than me, had loved to play and tease me. When I had been four, I remembered that he'd locked me inside the stables and hadn't let me out for a good couple of hours. I smiled at the memory, and at the same time I realized that I really missed him. 

"Marth was the crown Prince, and was the one who would become King. Six years later, however, at the age of 24, the Queen became pregnant again, this time with you. When you were born, your parents never had the time to decide about your name together, since Veilla passed away only minutes after you were born. She was always a strong woman, but apparently that was too much for her. The King and I decided about the name Zelda when you were a month old, a name that fit you perfectly."

I slowly shook my head. "I can't believe it."

"I know it's hard news for you, but you had to find out eventually", Impa said. I nodded. "I know…"

"I haven't told you about the worst part yet, though", she sighed. "This is news neither of you want to hear, but you must face the facts. Your brother Marth went to Termina at the age of 16, the same year as you disappeared. When the King had been missing his both children for six months, it become too much for him to bear. Fearing that you both were dead, he decided to remarry."

Impa cleared her throat and continued: "The woman he married was born noble. She seemed to be a perfect Queen, just as Veilla had been. But we were all deceived. Her name was Rose, and she turned out to be a terrible Queen, ruling the country with a rod of iron – literally. For two long years, there weren't any hope at all, but then the crown Prince returned from Termina alive, and the Queens evil plans were destroyed. She realized that she could never have an heir to the throne with the King, since there was one already. But when Marth returned home two years ago, he also brought a young girl with him, Romani, slightly younger than you two are now. She became the Queen's favorite, and it seems like Romani really thinks that Queen Rose is her real mother. Nobody knows where she came from, and Marth has never told us…"

Right then I realized that I really wanted to see my former home again. Of course I hated to actually live there, but I wanted to take a look and see what had changed since I last saw it. When I told Impa and Link about my thoughts, I saw surprise in Impa's eyes and fear in Link's. Then I actually tried one of my old tricks to always get what I wanted. 

"Impa, I want to see the Castle again, but I don't want anyone to see me. It's an order. I don't want to be or live like a Princess ever again. Understood?" My voice was firm and there was an edge in it that made even Link wince. He had never seen that side of me before.

"Yes, Your Highness", Impa said coldly, but then her grave expression was replaced by a sly smile. "You know, it could actually be kind of fun. There is a ball on the Castle next month, and all we have to do is _invite _you two. All we have to do is disguise you, Zelda." She thought for a moment. "I think it'll be best if you disguise yourself as a boy."

"A boy?" I exclaimed. "No, thank you. I'd never…"

"Oh, come on, Zelda", Link said impatiently. "It could be fun, as long as I don't have to worry about you", he added with a smirk.

"I own some old Sheikah clothes", Impa explained. "And I think they're your size, too. We'll use them and a little magic, and tell everyone you're my nephew or something like that. Nobody will suspect anything at all."

"No, I don't want to do it. What if someone found out…?"

"They won't. You're even more stubborn than me", Link said teasingly. 

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are!" 

"I'm _not _more stubborn than you are! Remember that time with the Deku scrub?" 

"So? It wasn't my fault! Remember when _you _climbed that tree -"

"Don't remind me of it. And I'm not going!" 

"Oh yeah? I think I can change your mind. Impa, you want to hear about that time when she would sneak inside Mido's house and she accidentally -"

"Fine."

"What?"

"I'm going. Now shut up."

I could see the amusement in his blue eyes as he laughed at me. I laughed as well. Even Impa had a gleeful look on her face, a look that was seldom seen. 

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"Ryla? What's with you today? You've been peering out through that window for some minutes now."

"I'm sorry, Mother, but I think we have a visitor."

"Really? Who could that possibly be?" Esthe Shakin, a tense, old woman with hair that once had been almost black and heavenly blue eyes, was lying in her bed, watching her oldest daughter, Ryla, now 42 years old, sewing a new dress for Weal, her seventeen year old daughter. Ryla's husband, Tato, was at his work as a guard in Hyrule Castle. They were Sheikahs, after all, and it was a Sheikah's duty to serve Hyrule's Royal family, even the small children knew that. But Ryla had not had a job ever, since she had to stay at home and take care of her sick mother. 

Well, Esthe wasn't Ryla's real mother, but she had adopted her when she had been about four years old, and since Ryla didn't know anything about her real family, she had called Esthe her mother in her entire life. Esthe was almost seventy years old, and she had been sick for many years now. Nobody knew which disease it was, but it was serious, and Esthe hadn't left the bed for many months now. 

"I don't know", Ryla said, looking out through the window. She was sitting in a rocking-chair next to it. "Weal, please go and open the door." 

"Okay, Mom", the young girl said, put away the book she had been reading, and went to open the door. She flinched at the sight of the woman before her. She was taller than any woman Weal had ever seen, with pale, blue eyes and grey hair, which was pulled back into a hard ponytail. She seemed to be around the age of fifty. She was armoured, but she was clearly a Sheikah. When she reached out a hand, Weal hesitantly took it. 

"Good morning", the tall woman said, her voice tense, but not unkind. 

"Good morning", Weal responded politely. "Who might you be?" 

"My name is Impa Shakin", the woman answered. "I'm looking for the Shakin family in this village. Is this the right house?" 

"Yes, it is", Weal said. "My name is Weal."

"It's nice to meet you, Weal. Are your parents at home?" 

"Yes, my Mother is, but my Father is at work."

"I see. I really want to talk with your Mother, if it's not too much trouble."

"I'll get her for you. Please sit down in the living room and wait for her."

Impa took a seat in one of the comfortable sofas, and glanced around the room. A crackling fire was burning in the fireplace, spreading a pleasant warmth in the room. She looked at the pictures that hung on the wall above the fireplace, one person in each frame, some smiling, and other faces grave and emotionless… What had happened to those people? What had their names been? Had they been happy, or felt like they were going through hell each day? She wanted to ask them if they knew anything about her lost family, but then she realized that they were just pictures… 

"Hello, my name is Ryla. May I help you?" Impa snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the woman who was standing before her, took her hand and shook it in a firm handshake. 

"My name is Impa. I've come here to… I've come here because I really need to talk to you." Ryla nodded, unsure of what to do or say. She took a seat in an armchair just opposite Impa. The elder woman noticed her light brown hair and glittering, blue eyes, and she felt as though she had seen those eyes somewhere before…

_Her mother's eyes. Threa's eyes. Her own eyes._

This had to be her own sister sitting before her… But how could it be?

"I'm sorry for bothering you at such an early hour, but there is something I really need to do", Impa began. "I need to find out the truth about my past, and it might explain a few things about your past as well."

Ryla gave her a confused look, so she elaborated. "I'll take it from the very beginning, but it won't take the whole day, though. In my childhood, I lived in this village with my family. They were my father Shiro, my mother Threa, my elder brother Khiro and my little sister Weara. We were a very happy family, until the same year as I would turn ten. My mother had told us that she was pregnant, and we were all very happy about it. But Kakariko was attacked, my father died and my mother and my siblings were captured by the Gerudos."

Ryla winced and watched Impa anxiously. "That sounds horrible", she stated quietly. 

"It really was. But the worst thing was that I never knew what had happened to my family."

"I see. I feel so sorry for you. I wish there was something I could do", Ryla said.

"Oh, but there _is_ something you can do", Impa said with a tiny smile. "You could tell me about your childhood. Where did you grow up?" 

Ryla looked slightly bewildered at this question. "Well… I know that Esthe isn't my real mother. She told me that she adopted me because she found me when I was about four or five years old, and she could not find my family. I can't remember my mother or father's name, if I had any siblings or where I lived, but I do remember a cold, filthy cell, and a woman with brown hair and blue eyes, who might have been my mother… I think we were imprisoned or something…"

"Listen to me, Ryla", Impa interrupted her. "This is very important to me, and for you as well. This woman was named Threa, and she was my mother. She was captured by the Gerudos when Kakariko was attacked, 42 years ago. She was pregnant when they took her, and those evil Gerudo women imprisoned her in Gerudo's Fortress. I never thought about the possibility that she could have survived the attack, but now… To put it bluntly, Ryla, I think you're my younger sister. No, don't interrupt me! Please let me explain. First of all, you have your mother's eyes, I have only seen eyes like that once before, and those eyes were Threa's. I think you were born after our mother had been taken away to the Gerudo's Fortress. The woman you described sounds exactly like our mother. She was young, with light brown hair, just as yours, and those beautiful blue eyes…"

Ryla stared at Impa with shock and disbelief. "I can't believe it", she whispered. "After all these years… Are you really my… My sister?" 

Impa nodded. "Obviously I am."

"I can't believe it", Ryla said again, with a tear trickling down her cheek. Then she went over to her sister and gave her a warm embrace with the words: "Welcome home. I've missed you."

"So have I."

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"Come back here, Sheik!" Link called out, chasing his new friend, that just a few hours had been the Princess Zelda. Impa had brought some Sheikah clothes, which were in black, blue and dark purple colors. The outfit also had pieces of cloth wrapped around the wrists, the chest, the head and the face. Only half of Zelda's face was now visible, and her blonde hair looked shaggy and tousled under the cloth. Now they looked like Link's golden bangs. 

The outfit had fit the young Princess perfectly, as though it had been made for her body. On her chest was a big, scarlet eye, crying a single tear of blood, the symbol of the Sheikah people. With her magic, Impa had given Zelda's skin a tan and also turned her eyes into a strange, crimson color. Then they had figured out a name for their new character. Impa had suggested Sheik, which was an old Sheikah name, and Zelda had approved. Impa had also suggested that they would call Sheik her nephew. So now Zelda was getting used to her new alter ego. She had found the new outfit a little uncomfortable in the beginning, but now she was like a different person already. 

"Come and catch me!" Sheik yelled back, trying to reach a nearby tree to climb. "You'll never get- Ouch!"

He tripped over a stone in the grass and fell slap-bang onto the ground. He sat up, clutching his leg. Link started to laugh, but stopped when he received a death glare from Sheik.

"Sorry", he said. "But you looked very funny…"

"Oh yeah?" Sheik said, getting to his feet. 

"Yeah", Link said, starting to laugh again. Sheik lunged at Link, who wasn't prepared, and fell backwards down on the soft grass. Thankfully, there weren't any citizens around. The two started wrestling forcefully in the grass. Link grabbed Sheik's wrists and pushed him onto his back. Sheik tried to get back up, but Link was too strong for him. Link tried to lean in and give his friend a kiss, but Sheik pulled one of his arms free and punched Link in the stomach, then leapt to his feet. Link was soon after him again. 

"Just you wait! I'll get you!" Link yelled.           

"Don't think so!" Sheik laughed. He spotted a small pen some yards away, quickly turned a corner and jumped over the wooden fence. He had expected to find the pen empty, but it wasn't. It was full of cuccos, and they were obviously not pleased at the sight of the strange Sheikah boy. 

"Damn, why do I always get in trouble?" Sheik muttered to himself and took a step backwards. One of the birds lunged at him and started ripping at his clothes. The others followed. Sheik ran for the fence and jumped over it. The cuccos apparently didn't think that he was worth following any further, because they stayed in the pen, cackling loudly, and watched Sheik who had collapsed on the ground. 

"Hey, what happened?" Link asked, amusement in his voice.

"They… attacked me", Sheik panted. "Stupid birds…"

"I think you were the stupid one", Link said with a chuckle. "If you hadn't jumped into that pen… Anyway, you should see the look of your face! I'm sure you would laugh at it, too."

"Oh, shut up. And let's get back to Impa's house, she'll probably be back by now."

_A/N: I do know Sheik actually is a girl, but just to make it clear, I'll call Zelda 'him' as long as she's disguised as Sheik, just to avoid confusion._

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Flashback, 37 years ago, Gerudo's Fortress 

Inside Cell number 12

Ryla's POV

"Weara, please take care of Ryla for a moment, will you? I'm feeling a little tired right now."

"All right, Mom. Come here, Ryla! That's a good girl." I felt my elder sister's arms wrapped around my waist, and I laughed as she tickled my small feet.

"Try and keep quiet", I heard my big brother Khiro hiss from his corner. "Mom's tired, and she's not feeling well, either."

Weara grew tense and I could sense that she was afraid. I couldn't believe that my sister could be scared of anything, because she was 12 years old and not a little girl anymore. My brother Khiro was even bigger than Weara, but I didn't know exactly how old he was. But I did know my sister's age, because it was the same as the number on the heavy iron door that separated us from the sunshine, the beautiful birds and butterflies and the sky that almost always was a light blue color, with fluffy little clouds that sailed over it, like boats on a vast sea… Khiro had once told me those words, and I couldn't forget them. 

On the iron door was the number 12, because we lived in the twelfth cell in a strange place that was called Gerudo's Fortress. I didn't know where it was, or what it was, because I had lived my entire life – five years – inside those thick stone walls, that was so cold during winter and so hot during summer. 

My sister had taught me the seasons, as well, because we had nothing to do in our home. First was Spring, the time when the beautiful birds darted through the air and chirped, then was Summer, the hottest season, when you could burn your feet on the sand in the Desert and I always was thirsty, then came Autumn, when the trees lost all their leaves and it turned colder, and last was Winter, the coldest season. Weara had told me about a strange thing called snow, it was cold and white and wet, like water, and it was falling down from the sky, but it wasn't rain. 

In the cell was a small window in the wall, without glass, with thick iron bars that would keep us form running away. I couldn't understand why. Why couldn't we run around outside the walls, too? No one explained anything to me. I was a child, and my brother once told me that children weren't supposed to understand things.

"Can we play the guessing game? Can we?" I asked my sister. The guessing game was a game when we would guess how things were outside the stone walls. Weara had lived outside before I was born, and she used to tell me what it looked like, and sometimes I would guess. 

"We've played that one so many times already", my sister said with a smile. "Can't we play something else?"

"Please?" I gave her the puppy eyes, which always worked on her.

"All right. You can begin. What do you think is outside this Fortress?"

"I know! I know! You've told me." I tried to find the right words. "There is a deep, deep valley with very high mountains around. And there is a deep river floating on the bottom. And there is a bridge leading over the valley, and you have to be careful to not fall down into the river."

"That's right. I saw that river when we arrived to this place", Weara told me. "We came here in a horse-drawn carriage, and when we went over the bridge, I was very afraid."

"For what?" I looked at her with big, blue eyes. I loved listening when she told me these things.

"Falling down the hundreds of foots down into the river", she said quietly. "And I thought: _If I was a bird, a black raven, a big eagle or a white gull, I would fly down to the river and down the canyon, to see what's hidden beyond the rocks._"

Sometimes I hated being so small and defenceless. When those women came, women with red hair and evil eyes, I felt that I hated them, too. They had the keys to our cell, and they could have let us out, but they didn't. 

One day, in the late spring, the women came, jangling with the big, bronze keys, and told my mother, Threa, that we would go for a little trip. They took my mother, my brother and my sister, but they left me behind. I would never fully understand what they did to the ones I loved, but after about an hour they came back and took me with them. I had never been outside our prison before, and I was amazed at the sight. Everything was so _big_! The ride to the valley that my siblings had told me about was just as amazing, though I was afraid what the red haired women would do.

"What about the kid?" one of them said. Another one shrugged. "I don't know. Throw it into the river. Or shall we treat it like the others?"

"It's just a little kid, like four years or something. Who would care what happened to it? I wouldn't." They laughed, a sound that really scared me.

"Me neither. Whatever, throw it down into the river. It will never survive the fall."

They laughed again and one of them goaded her horse close to the edge of the cliff. She held me by my short, dirty dress, and I could easily look down at the river, and I turned all dizzy at the sight. A part of me wanted to cry, run to my mommy and let her comfort me, another part wanted to resist, refuse to let the woman release the grip on me, wanted to fight… 

I bit her. Bit deep down into one of her fingers. Of course that was one of the dumbest things I could have done, but I didn't realize that when I did it, though. She yelped with pain and at the sight of the blood, which was now trickling down her palm. She did what I wanted; released me. I fell. Fell. Fell. Then my back hit the water surface, I felt the freezing water cover my body, making it feel all numb and cold. I slowly lost my consciousness, my life force running from my body like sand running through an hourglass.

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**A/N: **There's chapter 12! I can't believe I've written so many chapters already, it feels as though I started this story just recently! I'm really happy for the positive and encouraging reviews I've received so far. I have no idea how long this story will be, but I'm already planning on _Part 2 _of it. But that depends if you want another part or not. More about that in the coming chapters!

Was this chapter all boring? Don't worry, I'm already working with chapter 13, which will, of course, contain the ball! Another thanks to _foofbunny_ here, I'm glad I could use it. You'll see how it turns out in a few days, or maybe a week, it depends on how fast I can write the chapter. My school starts on Thursday, so I might not update until next weekend. Please review!

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..**


	13. Eavesdropping and revelation

**Disclaimer: **I hate writing these, and it doesn't feel necessary on _fanfiction_.net, but I'll do it anyway, so everyone will be happy. I do not own any of the characters in this story, and all of the Zelda characters are property of Nintendo. However, the storyline is mine.

**A/N: **Thank you for the reviews! But  I wasn't happy for the flames I received. Those were my first flames, but even though I knew it probably was going to happen eventually, it was _not_ appreciated. Everybody works hard with their fics, and flames aren't exactly encouraging, as I think everyone knows.

Special thanks to _foofbunny_: Thank you for the wonderful idea (which I tried to develop as much as possible) and for your encouraging e-mails about this one and _How Things Change_. I really do appreciate your suggestions, which I can surely use. This chapter will contain the ball, which I wrote about in the previous chapter. It didn't turn out like I expected at all, though. You'll see what I mean when you've read it. 

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Chapter thirteen: **Eavesdropping and Revelation**

Link's POV

With a week left to the ball on the Castle, Zelda was more thrilled than ever. She looked forward to see her former home again, meet her father, brother and the servants, and perhaps meet the Queen as well. During the last three weeks, I had got used to call Zelda Sheik. She liked her new alter ego and thought the Sheikah clothes were way more comfortable than any dress in the world. As a girl, she had never worn pants, and I could never imagine wearing a dress. 

Mine and Zelda's relationship grew steadier and I think she really had feelings for me, just like I had for her. I couldn't forget the night on Lon Ranch, and I don't think she could either. Sometimes I wondered what she really thought about me, what was going on beyond those deep blue eyes of hers… 

I lived with Zelda and Impa in her old house, which had been empty four about four years. After the attack of Kakariko, all of the houses had been rebuilt, and now the village was as beautiful as ever. I was really happy with Zelda and Impa, but I couldn't imagine living like this forever. My fourteenth birthday grew nearer day by day, and when I was old enough I would try getting a job in the Army. I think the age to be able to be a soldier was seventeen, and with two years left, I could spend my time practicing every day to get better with the weapons. 

Not that I thought I needed it, though. I was better with the sword than most men already. The sword was actually my favorite weapon, it was heavy and hard to treat right if you weren't used to it, but once you had learned the basic moves, it was like the sword came to life in your hand. I was a lefty, and had had a hard time before I learned to hold the weapon right. Now, however, I could beat almost everyone that wanted to put up a fight against me. 

Just because I fancied fencing and sword fighting so much, Impa would challenge me frequently. Her weapon was a long, sharp dagger of the Sheikah kind, and she always kept it in her right boot, sometimes even when she was asleep. I don't think she could ever relax completely. She was my opposite. I could fall asleep everywhere, and at any time, though I didn't need so much sleep at night. 

"Come on, boy, move your feet!" Impa told me. I didn't answer, I knew she was just teasing me, trying to make me lose my control. I didn't, I never did. Impa was a good teacher, and I had learned a lot of things, but she could still beat me. 

She lunged at me, I jumped to the side, but she suddenly changed her direction and forced me to use my new shield to protect my face. I could hear the dagger clash against the steel in my Hylian shield with such force that I fell to the ground, clutching my weapons. I held the shield over my face to defend myself while I fought to get up again. When I did, I tried a vertical slash against her, but she parried it easily. With an annoyed snort, I tried a horizontal one this time and aimed for her legs. In battle, the slash was a very forceful and effective attack, but now Impa saw was I was about to do, and locked my sword against her knife with such force that I dropped it. The knife scratched my forearm and ripped the white shirt I wore underneath my green tunic, causing a long, red scratch to appear, from the back of my hand to my elbow. It started bleeding immediately, and I used the hem of my tunic to stop the bleeding.

"That hurt", I stated with a glare at Impa. She was smiling at me. "Watch out, young warrior, or you might get hurt badly", she said. I could only glare at her. 

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Sheik's POV

Impa said that we would go to the Castle with magic. Neither Link nor I had ever used magic before… What if something went wrong? On the evening of the ball, however, she simply told us to stand still and  relax while she transported the three of us to the Castle gates.

I had put on my Sheikah clothes again, and they were much more comfortable than the dresses I had worn before. I really liked them, and if I could just remember to talk into the cloth that covered parts of my face and lower my voice, nobody would take me for anything else than a teenage Sheikah boy, Sheik, nephew of Impa Shakin and Link's friend. Not _girl_friend.

Link was standing beside me, holding my hand in his. He hadn't changed clothes for the ball, because he liked his Kokiri attires so much, and I couldn't imagine him wearing anything else. This time, however, he wasn't carrying a heavy sword and shield on his back, and the fact made him look taller and he could also straighten his back. It suddenly hit me how much taller than me he was! 

"Ready?" I heard Impa's voice. Both Link and I nodded firmly. My Aunt – I had to call her that now – stood behind us, placing one hand on my shoulder, and one on Link's. She mumbled some inaudible Sheikah words, and I felt like someone had placed a huge hook in the pit of my stomach and dragged me along, in a higher speed than I could ever imagine. It took three seconds, and then we were standing outside the grey stone walls of my former home. I couldn't recollect whether we had been flying or not, but it wasn't important. Important was the fact that the drawbridge was down and I would enter the Castle – but not as a Princess this time.

"Come on, let's hurry", Impa said and pushed us in the direction of the drawbridge. "The ball has already begun, and I want you to meet the crown Prince. Come on!"

When we entered the biggest Hall in the Castle, it was crowded with hundreds of people in pretty clothing. It was dresses like that I had worn once, with lace frills, pink ribbons, gems and beautiful jewellery… I hadn't much time to think about that now, however, because Impa called for me. She and Link were standing beside a tall, young man with teal hair and heavenly blue eyes. He was dressed as the noble Prince he was, with a golden crown in his hair and a long, deep blue mantle. Of course I recognized him.

"Sheik, let me introduce you to His Highness, Prince Marth", Impa said with a smile, but her stern eyes told me exactly what to do. I bowed slightly.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, Your Highness", I said, and made sure to lower my voice. 

"This is my nephew, Sheik, and his friend, Link", Impa explained to Marth. I watched my brother's face with my crimson eyes, and I wondered what he was thinking.

_If you knew who I was, what would you say?_

Marth's eyes caught my gaze and he smiled at me. I responded his polite smile, but then it hit me that my mouth was covered behind the cloth anyway. It surely hurt. It hurt so much! To see my brother, one of the few people I had loved in my early childhood, standing here without recognizing me. He had no idea who Sheik really was, and he would never find out.

Impa and Marth were talking, and though I couldn't catch all the words, I understood that the King had arranged the ball as a great opportunity for the soon twenty year old Prince to find a woman that would become the future Queen of Hyrule. It was also clear that Marth didn't like the idea at all. I felt sorry for him. It sure was hard to be Royal and marry a complete stranger. If I had still lived in the Castle, that destiny would be mine…

"I have to go now", I heard the Prince say. "It was nice to meet you. Enjoy yourselves." A brief bow, a polite smile, and my brother had disappeared in the crowd. My thoughts were interrupted by something else, a shrill, unpleasant voice… I turned to the sound, and understood that the woman before me had to be Queen Rose. It could be nobody else. She was talking to a soldier, a tall man in shining armor. He had no helmet, and his face was just as evil as the Queen's, if that was even possible.

How could my Father have married that woman? She was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen, I admitted that, but there was an evil look in her hazel eyes, and I saw it. She had a sly smile on her lips, and her light brown hair was pulled back into an elegant bun, leaving two strands of hair to fall down on each side of her face. She wore a light purple velvet gown, which was sleeveless and had a broad, dark ribbon around the waist. Her forearms were covered by white silk gloves. She lowered her voice and said something to the soldier, but I caught a few words.

"… I asked him, so I think about midnight would be a good time… Nobody will suspect anything… How much did we agree about?"

I was confused. What were they planning to do? If I was right about the Queen, it wasn't something too nice. I had an anxious feeling, and I also felt that I should keep an eye on the Queen, just to make sure that she didn't do anything. I told Link about it.

"You think she's up to something?" he asked.

"Yes, that's right. I haven't got a clue what they're planning, though. I have an uneasy feeling that someone's going to be sorry for this."

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

The evening went by so quickly, and I was having a very good time. The ball, the people, the music – it all reminded me of so much, things that I would rather forget… Link and I watched Queen Rose, but she didn't even leave the room. But I had this feeling, that she would do something… She seemed to be the type of person who would do almost _anything_, after all.

I also met my Father for the very first time in four years. He looked all the same to me, with a short, light beard that had begun to turn grey, a heavy crone on his head and the familiar look in the big, blue eyes, the same blue eyes that everyone in the Royal family had – except the Queen.

Impa introduced me and Link to King Harkinian. I even recognized his way to greet people, a brief smile, a slight nod… _If you knew who I was, what would you say?_

I was used to be called Sheik by now, but I felt… I felt trapped inside the body of a fourteen year old boy, the body of someone else, a body that _wasn't mine_. I liked my new alter ego, but it wasn't me, though. I had really started to think of who I really was, and what I really wanted to be. And Goddesses, that wasn't an easy question!

As Link and I were standing by one of the tables to get something to drink, something suddenly hit me: _what had Impa told us when we met her at the Windmill Inn?_ _Of course! _I slapped my forehead in frustration. _Of course. The Queen had been utterly disappointed when Marth returned from Termina alive. What she wanted, more than anything, was an heir to the throne, an heir of her own blood, who would rule Hyrule after her! But there was an obstacle in her evil plans – my brother, the crown Prince, the one who would become the next King… _

"Oh Goddesses!" I interjected, immediately turning pale. 

"Is something the matter?" Link asked me, a tone of concern in his voice.

"Yes! What's the time? Come on!" I seized his arm and dragged him with me through the crowd. The orchestra was playing an ancient song of the Goron people, _The Bolero of Fire_, a happy melody, quite the opposite of my mood. 

"Sheik! Tell me what's going on!" I heard Link's voice. I didn't respond. I couldn't think at all. It took us a couple of minutes to run upstairs, to the hallway where the bedrooms were. I caught a glimpse of a clock on a wall along the way, and it was a quarter to midnight already. I indeed hoped that I was wrong. For the very first time in my life, I hoped that I would be wrong! 

My hopes were destroyed abruptly when I saw one of the servants, a young woman, approaching us. Her face was horror-struck and she was obviously crying. "Thank Goddesses that you're here!" she managed to say. "Please, go and get someone…"

"What has happened here?" I asked, fighting hard to keep my voice steady.

Her voice wasn't more than a whisper when she told me. "Murder."

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Late evening, in the medical wing

Marth's POV

"How is he? Will he be okay?"

Someone hushed the eager voice. "You can't see him now. We are not certain if he will recover yet."

"It's been over two days! Will you please let me in?"

"No, I can't do that, I have my orders. Now, will you please leave? We would prefer a little silence here."

Footsteps. Eventually they ceased and everything was silent again. That damn silence… wait… Hadn't I heard that voice somewhere before? Eager, childish, _girlish_? It wasn't Romani. Who was it? 

It hurt to move. It hurt to think, even. The pain gushed up into the pit of my stomach every time I moved a muscle. I hadn't opened my eyes in a while, because I didn't want to. Didn't want to see what had happened to me. Didn't want to see the bandages that were wrapped around my chest and stomach. Didn't want to think about whom had caused the wounds…

It was good to sleep, because I didn't have to bother about anything when I slept. I could relax and let my dreams guide me. I sighed, a gesture that send waves of pain through my body, and then slowly drifted off to sleep…

When I woke up a few hours later, it was in the middle of the night, and when I slowly opened my eyes, I saw someone sitting on a chair next to my bed. The room was dark, but a single candle was burning on the bedside table, allowing me to see who my visitor was. It was the peculiar Sheikah boy I had met during the ball… I couldn't remember his name, and I couldn't understand why he would want to visit me. 

"How are you feeling?" the muffled voice made me wince. Was he really concerned about me?

"Not that good", I mumbled. Silence. "What happened?" I asked. Silence. 

"Someone tried to kill you", he eventually answered.

"Kill me? Who would possibly do that?" I asked, bewildered. 

"I have no idea. But I somehow felt that you were in trouble, and it saved your life. You were terribly badly injured when one of the servants found you. I think you should be glad that you're alive."

_Is he pulling my leg? No, he seems completely serious… But it doesn't make any sense._

"You were there?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Sheik."

"I know. But I want to know more about you than just your name. Where are you from?"

"I can't tell you. But I lived in a place that was similar to this once. But in that Castle, there was a Princess, too."

Those scarlet eyes gave me an uneasy feeling. Why did he have to remind me of Zelda now? That was a thing I would rather forget. As I gazed at Sheik's face, his right eye hidden behind his blonde hair, and as I watched his left scarlet eye, I thought I had seen that gaze somewhere else. But where? I couldn't recall it… Wait… A ten year old girl appeared before me when I shut my eyes. She was laughing gleefully, holding a bouquet of neat white lilies, which matched her white dress. Her blue eyes met mine, she smiled, and I imagined those eyes with a red color instead… They were the same. The same courage, same determination, same obstinacy in them…

"Zelda?" I whispered. Sheik winced at the sound of my voice and his eyes widened. I could see fear in them, but I couldn't understand what he would possibly be afraid of. 

"Excuse me, Your Highness, but I better leave now. Get some rest, and I'm sure you will recover soon." 

Sheik bowed slightly and left the room. I stared at the doorway. Sheik's voice had been lighter, almost shrill, when he finished the sentence. If my suspects were correct, this day was the happiest in my life so far.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Link's POV

I was settled in one of the comfortable leather sofas in the Royal library, reading a book with Hylian tales and enjoying the warmth from the fireplace. It was late in the evening, and I was waiting for Sheik to come back from the medical wing. He had visited the Prince, who was starting to recover from the incident two days ago. I had heard he was badly wounded, apparently stabbed a few times with a knife. Who would do such a thing? If they did catch the culprit, he would get a harsh sentence, no doubt about it.

"Link, there you are! I really need to talk to you!"

"What is it, Sheik?" I asked, looking up from the book I had been reading.

"You should call me Zelda. Marth knows!"

"What? How is that possible?" I put the book away and watched Sheik anxiously.

"I don't know." He sighed helplessly and took a seat in one of the armchairs by the fireplace, leaning his head against the armrest. His eyes were full of concern and fear. 

"Tell me what happened. You went to visit Marth in the medical wing, did you not?"

"That's right", said Sheik heavily. "I talked to him and told him that someone had tried to kill him. Someone had to tell him eventually, after all. He stared at me, and then he closed his eyes, and when he looked at me again, he said 'Zelda'… How does he know?"

"You didn't tell him anything, did you?" I asked.

"Of course not! I'm not stupid." 

"Sorry, I didn't mean that. I know you'd never tell anything", I said softly. Sheik shook his head.

"Don't be. It doesn't matter anymore. This whole disguise thing is just ridiculous now, anyway. I can't stay here anymore, Link. I have to get back to Kakariko. Why does this happen to me?"

"No idea", I said and shook my head. "You want to talk?" 

"Yes, or something like that." Sheik walked over to me and sat down beside me on the couch. I placed my arm around his shoulders, feeling him shiver. He began unwrapping the cloth that covered his face, and when he was done, I saw Zelda again, that familiar face that I fancied so much. Her skin, though tanned with magic, was pale and her eyes looked red as blood in the flickering light from the fire. She pulled loose her blonde hair, which she had pulled back into a tight bun while she was disguised as Sheik, and let it fall down over her shoulders. 

I gave her a peck on the cheek, and received a warm smile from her. That smile could really melt a guy's heart! She leaned up to me and gave me a kiss on the lips, her tongue pressing against my teeth. I opened my mouth to let it in. Zelda leaned closer to me, placing one arm around my neck to draw me closer to her. The feelings of her fingers against the soft skin of my nape made me shiver with delight. Eventually, we broke apart, Zelda's cheeks slight pink, my heart throbbing in my chest. 

"Maybe we should get some rest", I suggested. "It's late."

"Yeah, I know. I think I'll stay here for a while, though. I really need to think things over."

"Okay, see you tomorrow, then?"

"Oh, yes, see you tomorrow."

I mumbled a soft 'Good night' and walked away, leaving Zelda huddled up in the couch, staring into the crackling flames, lost in her own thoughts. I smiled a fond smile. Did she know how much she meant to me? I really did care about her, and I hoped that things would be all right.

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**A/N: **New chapter done! I hope it was all right, though the ball thing didn't turn out like I had expected. Isn't it strange? I had no idea how this story would turn out when I wrote chapter 1 of this fic! But I hadn't been able to write this story at all if I hadn't received so many reviews! Thank you, reviewers! ^_^ If you liked this chapter, I'd be glad if you sent me a review!

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..******


	14. The traces of love can never disappear

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Legend of Zelda or anything that relates to it, except for this story. 

**A/N:** It makes me really happy to see how many reviews I've received for this story! I'm also glad that so many people like my work. I'm really trying to make the story as good and exciting as possible, which isn't always easy. 

This chapter might surprise you, since I'm trying something completely different. I told a few people about it to hear their opinions, and since they obviously liked it, I decided to give it a shot.

*The following text is about some of your opinions I read in the reviews.* You can scroll down the page and read the chapter instead, but I'll just say something about some of the things I read. I will respond to the long, critical review from _Selah Lahai Roi_ (and since I wasn't able to send an e-mail, this is the only way, I think). I didn't take any of it as a flame, in fact, I enjoyed reading it. It was good that you had so much criticism to give me, and that way, I can improve my work and get better at writing.

_(1)_ and _(2)_: The language errors depends on that English isn't my native language. I'm sorry if you found any spelling errors and if the text seemed confusing. I do reread every chapter a few times, and I do use the language checking thing in Word as well. But sometimes I can find spelling errors afterwards anyway. I am really sorry if the spelling and the language is bad. It isn't always easy, so bear with me.

_(3)_: I do know it may seem confusing, but I assure you I'm doing my best. Calling Zelda "him" when she's disguised as Sheik is simply the way I chose to do it, and the way I prefer to do it. Some people think that Zelda and her alter ego are two different persons. I don't think they are, but I chose to write like that anyway. And the part with the kiss as they were wrestling: I think you realize that I thought about that, too. Since I wrote that I would call Zelda "him" when she was in disguise, I also thought that it would be pretty clear that Link was trying to kiss _Zelda_, and not a boy. Sheik is, after all, still _Zelda_.

_(4)_: Me too, actually. But unfortunately, I can't give you a straight answer to your question. I have absolutely no idea about how this story will turn out. I have to say, though, that if those things are disturbing or seem too mushy to you, I would suggest that you shouldn't read this story if you didn't like the last chapter. The story might contain more of those things. I'm not quite sure yet.

_(5)_: Yes, a lot of people call Zelda's father "King Harkinian". Harkinian is Zelda's last name, I think… So I prefer calling her father that, too. It's simply because I have no clue of what his real name is. And yes, I have heard about the Book of Mudora, though I don't know what it is. I don't know how I should respond to that question either. If you're wondering about something, please send an e-mail.

**I don't know if it seems necessary to you, but I decided to change the rating of this story to **PG-13**, since this chapter contains **mild violence** and **bad language**.**

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Chapter fourteen: **The traces of love can never disappear**

2 years later, in Impa's house, Kakariko

Link's POV

"Link, wake up."

"What?" I groaned and slowly opened my eyes. My vision was blurred, perhaps because I just couldn't sleep the previous night. I felt a slight irritation at the person at my bedside, who was trying to wake me up. The person was Zelda. She wasn't in her Sheik disguise today, and her hair looked silky and smooth in the sunlight that shone in through the window.

"What's the time? I need to sleep", I grunted and attempted to turn my back to her and go back to sleep, but she grabbed my shoulder, placing a soft kiss on my cheek.

"What was that?" I asked, confused.

"Happy birthday."

"Wh… oh! I had completely forgotten about that…" I cursed myself. This was one of the most important days of my life, the day I would turn seventeen. How could I have forgotten about it?

"You better not tell Impa about that", Zelda chuckled. "She has a big surprise for you, I think."

"Really? That's-" I yawned. "Can I sleep for an hour or so first?"

"No, you can't sleep all day", she said, leaving the room. "It's half past eight already", she informed me from the kitchen.

"I'm coming…" I said, shivering at the feeling of my bare feet against the cold wooden floor. It was in the end of March, soon April, but it was cold as in the middle of the winter whatsoever. I hurried to put some clothes on, throwing a quick glance in the mirror that hung on the wall. I stopped dead in my tracks, examining the young man that stood before me. Somehow, he wasn't the boy I once knew. He had matured, both mentally and physically, yet he seemed like a child still. I looked at him, meeting his deep, blue eyes and thinking of what I saw in them. Courage. Naïveness. I didn't know whether I liked that young man or not. Did I like what he had become? 

I stood there for a couple of minutes, taking a step towards the mirror and looking at my own face closely. I recalled that Zelda once had called my blue eyes beautiful. I didn't know if they were or not. My blonde hair was somewhat tousled and shaggy, so I combed it with my fingers before putting my usual green hat on. That piece of fabric was also a piece of me, and I didn't feel complete without it. As I gazed at my own appearance, I could also remember that someone had called me handsome as well. _Am I handsome? _I thought. _How can I know? I barely know anything anymore…_

With a slight shrug, I left the room. Impa and Zelda were waiting, so they could reveal the great surprise for me. "Okay, come on, now tell me", I said with a smile. 

"Well, we do know what you want, more than anything, right now", Impa said, and she was also smiling.

I nodded. "Happy birthday, Link, Hylian soldier."

"What?"

"Since you're so skilled with a sword already, despite your young age, I spoke to the King and he agreed to let you have a place in the Army. Being a soldier is the lowest position, but you can – and I'm certain you will – advance when you're getting better. Besides, you're going to do what you want: fight for Hyrule, if it comes to that."

"I can't believe it", I said, unable to hide my happiness and enthusiasm. "It's just great! Thank you… both of you."

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

The day after I had turned seventeen, however, something happened that somewhat destroyed my happiness. Esthe, the woman who had adopted Impa's younger sister Ryla when she was a baby, passed away and that left Ryla inconsolable. The grief after Esthe's passing inflicted upon as all, but Zelda and I – who had had a strong relationship for some years now, didn't know what to do nor feel. I knew I had to leave Zelda and move to the Castle soon, where I'd do what I had always dreamt to do. I wasn't sure what Zelda felt, sometimes I wasn't even sure which feelings she had for me. Did I mean as much to her as she did to me? 

She had grown up into a strong and beautiful young woman and I really didn't want to leave her. Should I let my dreams and fantasies guide me and abandon my love? I think those thoughts, along with a lot of other things, were the reasons when Zelda and I had our first real quarrel ever. It was the night before I would leave Kakariko, the house I considered to be my home and the people I considered being my family.

Zelda and I were alone. Impa was over at the Shakin house, discussing important matters with her sister. Ryla had had a hard time deciding about whether there would be a funeral or not and a lot of similar things. She had really loved Esthe as though she was her real mother, and losing her was perhaps the hardest thing she had ever been through. 

Afterwards, I really regretted what I did to Zelda that night, but everyone knows it's easy to be wise after the events. We were sitting in the living room, snuggled up closely in one of the comfortable sofas, talking and laughing. Zelda suddenly changed the subject and asked me: "So, how do you feel about your new job? I can tell this is really what you want."

"It really is", I agreed. "Getting that job is what I've dreamt of for a few years now, actually. I want to do something with my life, Zelda. I want to be famous, I want people to like me, and I want to do what _I_ like…"

"I think you'll succeed with all those things", she sighed. I could hear something strange and unknown in her voice…

"Maybe I will. But what are you feeling? You seem a little down."

"Well, to be honest, I'm feeling sad that you're leaving", she admitted. "You'll live in the Castle with my Father and brother, and you'll be famous and well liked and have a wonderful life…"

I frowned. "What's your point, exactly?" 

Zelda sighed irritatingly. "My point is that you'll get everything you want! You'll get everything _I _would want to have in _my_ life! Don't you understand? I was the Princess once, and I loathed my life back then, but that was ages ago! Now I'm starting to think that maybe I was wrong… what do I have to live for now? You're going to leave me, and I haven't any friends, except for you. I can't even be the one I was born to be! True, I don't want the title 'princess', or at least I don't think I want to, but if I can't even be the girl I was born to be, then what is left? Hiding for the rest of my life, not letting anyone see who I truly am? Linger in this old house when you're out there, getting everything you want, being the one who saves Hyrule, marrying a beautiful woman and having children… being perfectly happy…"

"Zelda, now listen to me", I said icily and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at me. My grip was a little bit harder than I had expected it to be. Zelda flinched, but looked at me whatsoever. "Don't _you_ understand?" I said to her. "I'll never end up marrying a woman if it's not you. Have I made myself clear?" 

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" she said scornfully. "I had a dream once, Link. In that dream, I loved you and you loved me, and we were just happy together. But when I woke up the next morning, I realized that it's what it was and still is! A _dream_! Some silly fantasies that we thought would come true!"

I couldn't believe what she said. Did she really mean it? "Do you really mean that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. I would _never_ show her how much her words hurt. Never. But they hurt so _damn_ much. "Are you trying to tell me that you never had any feelings for me? That you never loved me? That our relationship has been in vain?" I nearly yelled at her, and I winced at the sound of my own voice. She glared at me. I had never seen her like this before. What had caused this? How did we end up like this? 

"Yes, I think that's what I'm trying to say."

Something burst inside me, like a thread that had been cut off somewhere inside my body. Something had cut off my connection and feelings for this girl, and I felt that she meant nothing to me anymore. I wanted to tell her what I felt, that this whole thing was over and done with, but no words came from my throat. I fought to say something to her, get her to shut up, but I couldn't do anything.

"Maybe it would have been better for both of us if you've stayed in your bloody castle instead of running away!" I yelled at her. 

Zelda got to her feet, staring down at me, and said in an utterly hostile voice: "What did you say?"

"If you've stayed in that bloody castle instead of running away", I repeated slowly, making sure to emphasize every word. "That way, I'd never have met you!"

"Perhaps it would have been better that way! But now, we can't change it! Once I thought I had feelings for you, but I was damn wrong! I thought I knew you and I trusted you! I trusted you… but you're probably the most stuck-up, self-absorbed jerk and the biggest asshole I've ever met! I'm glad this is the last time I'll see you!"

_Does she really mean that? _I thought. _No, it's impossible… _I stood up as well, but she didn't flinch, though I was so much taller than her. I attempted to grip her arm, but she was faster than me and backed out of the way. I took some steps forwards and slapped her. Don't blame me for doing it! By the time, I wasn't myself. I guess I was what you're calling 'blinded with fury'. I couldn't believe that Zelda said those things to me, and as I couldn't find out something to say, I used force instead.

When I hit the girl I loved, something strange happened. I don't know which words I should use to explain it. A power I had never felt before appeared between us. As my hand made contact with her skin, it felt as though I had given her a powerful shock, and afterwards, my hand would ache occasionally, reminding me of that day. 

Zelda's eyes, the eyes that used to be filled of happiness and love as she looked at me, were now filled with rage. She growled something inaudible and struck me just as I had done to her. I felt my left cheek burn with pain, but also something more, something different… Zelda stared in shock at her hand, and I realized that she felt the same as I had done. I felt as though she had given me an electric shock, and right then, I knew something important had happened. I had no idea of what it could be. But then, I didn't know They were watching, and that They saw everything.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Everyone knows that the Goddesses have a will of Their own. They are watching and guiding the people of the country Hyrule, and if something bad has happened, They might decide to change it and turn it into something good instead. 

The people in Hyrule believe very strong in the power of the Goddesses. Some of them still think that They have powers such as changing the seasons and the setting and rising of the sun and moon, but also the destiny of mankind. Even the Goddesses have people They are feeling something special for. These Hylians might have had a hard life, and the Goddesses can decide to give him or her the comfort they need. Some of the chosen ones are people with supernatural powers, which the Mighty ones decided to give them when they were born.

The Triforce, they ancient golden triangles of the Goddesses, was kept deep inside the Sacred Realm. No one could ever see it or touch it, except the Goddesses, but They would choose three people who would carry one of the Triforce pieces within their very souls. The same year as they turned seventeen, they would get a mark on the back of their hands, and then they would fully understand the gift they had been given. 

Courage, Wisdom and Power. Those were the three Triforce pieces, and each one of them had certain powers. The people who got a piece of the Triforce would be special, and they would stand closer to the Goddesses than everyone else. They were the links between the Heavens and the mortal world. 

Only one of the three chosen ones knew about the rare gift. She'd had the Triforce of Power for several years, and it had inflicted much power, but also very much pain. She had no idea how to handle her special gift, given to her from Them, and therefore, she would become a completely different person as she had the Power in her hand. 

The two other chosen ones had no idea of who they were, but in a short time, they would also learn about their own fate. The Mighty ones would teach them, and Their chosen children would look at their life from a different point of view afterwards.

In a short time, they would know. But they were already beginning to realize it…

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Hyrule Castle, in the stables

Link's POV

Why was that bruise on my cheek still left? And why was that strange mark on my hand aching so often? It was the mark I got the day I argued with Zelda… Lately, it had begun looking like a triangle. Three triangles, actually, and they formed a pattern of one big triangle. The lower left triangle was a little bit darker than the two others… And the mark didn't look like a usual birthmark at all! The sides of the triangles were perfectly straight and uniform, it was almost like it was _meant_ to be there… But it didn't make sense at all.

I leaned my head against Epona's soft fur, patting her neck gently. Sometimes it felt so good to talk to her. Somehow, I could tell the horse things I didn't want to tell anyone else. It felt as though she could understand me in a way no one else could.

"You know, Epona, I'm really sorry for what I did to Zelda", I whispered to the horse. It had been a week since I left Kakariko, a pretty busy and proving week for me, and sometimes I didn't know whether I liked my new life or not. "I just don't know what to do… and there's no way for me to apologize to her." 

"Link! There you are, I was looking for you!" It was Navi. She floated through the air and settled herself down on Epona's back. Epona was used to Navi and she liked her, so she didn't mind at all. "Why are you always in here all by yourself?" Navi asked. 

"I don't know", I admitted. "Sometimes I don't know what I really want to do. This life isn't as I imagined it at all. And I can't stop thinking of what I did to Zelda. I'm feeling really guilty, Navi."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, either", the little fairy sighed. "If you tried to apologize-"

"I can't apologize. It's impossible, because Zelda probably hates me!" I interrupted her, slowly sitting down into the rough hay, leaning my back against the stable wall. Navi didn't say anything. "I'm sorry for interrupting you, Navi, I didn't mean it", I said quietly. "Sometimes I wonder what's happened to me…"

"It's all right, Link", she said softly. "Life isn't always easy. I'm sure you'll feel better soon. Everyone has their bad days, you know."

"Yeah, I know." After some minutes of silence, I decided to tell her about what had been troubling me since I left my former home. "Navi? Look at this."

I pulled my left gauntlet off and showed her the strange mark on the back of my hand. She winced as she saw it. "Link! How long has that been on your hand?"

"I think I got it the night before I left Kakariko. It was the same night as…" My voice faded and I finished the sentence in an inaudible tone. "Do you know what it is?" I asked her.

"Yes, I do", she said. "That is the Triforce, the symbol of Hyrule. Have you never seen it before?"

"I don't think so. Or maybe I have. But I've never thought of what it was."

"But why would it be on your hand?" Navi asked thoughtfully. I shrugged. "I still have this bruise on my cheek, too", I said. "And this Triforce mark is really painful sometimes."

"They have to be there for a reason", the small fairy said. "Maybe you will find out, when the time comes."

"I need something to do, so I can keep my mind off those things", I said. "What about a grooming, Epona?" 

Navi and I were talking while I brushed Epona's auburn fur, but suddenly the fairy fell silent. I was combing Epona's soft tail and didn't notice the person who had shown up. He had been standing there for a couple of minutes before I noticed him. I had not seen him in two long years, but he looked pretty much the same. His bluish hair was a little bit longer, pulled back by a small, golden crown. His dark blue eyes were watching my work. He leaned against the wall of Epona's stall, and he didn't seem to notice that his long, midnight blue mantle touched the dirty stable floor.

"I heard that you were in the Army now, but I haven't seen you until now", he said, smiling politely.

"Marth? I mean, Your Highness?" I asked. 

"I thought you would remember me. I do remember you, actually. You're Link, friend of Impa's nephew Sheik, aren't you?"

"That's right", I smiled. "I think you know, Your Highness, that the soldiers are busy six days a week. We're always practicing or learning new things. It's pretty dull sometimes, actually."

I always felt uncomfortable when I was supposed to call people their titles, for instance 'Your Highness' or simply 'Sir'. It didn't feel right. It was just unnatural, and I couldn't understand how the nobles could stand it. If people would call me 'Sir', I would go crazy. But on the other hand, that would most likely never happen. 

"I know that", Marth told me. "I'm not outside the Castle walls much. My wounds never healed completely after the murder attempt two years ago, and there are a lot of things I can't do anymore. Like riding a horse or fencing with a sword, for instance. The doctor says it would be too risky…"

"That's a shame, Your Highness", I said, pretending to be _very_ busy brushing Epona's tail over again. I felt very uncomfortable and I didn't know what to say nor do in the Prince's presence.

"But today, however, I left the Castle to look for you", Marth said. "I really want to talk to you."

"Um… really? I mean, sure, Your Highness."

"Please, stop calling me that", Marth said with a chuckle. 

"All right… Marth. So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Marth and I were equals in length, and he looked straight into my eyes when he said: "I want to ask you a few questions… about Sheik."

"Oh… well, yeah, go ahead", I said nervously. I could recall that Zelda had told me that Marth knew that Sheik was the same person as the Princess, but did he really know? What would I respond if he asked me? 

"I'm certain that you know Sheik very well, am I right?" His eyes peered right through me, through my very mind.

"Yes."

"In that case, would you please tell me who this Sheik is? And I mean who he _really _is."

What would I answer? What would happen if I told Marth about Zelda? I couldn't let her down… could I? But did I care if I betrayed her or not? She was most certainly not my friend anymore. So would it matter what I said? But what if Zelda found out that I had let her down? She would most likely not like me more if she did! 

"I want an answer, Link. It's an order. And tell me the truth."

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**A/N: **I think that was sort of a cliffhanger! I'm thinking of ending this story soon, maybe already after a few more chapters. I've been writing this for a while now, and I'm afraid that the story might get very bad if I continue with it. But in the last chapters, I thought about adding _Roy_ from _Super Smash Bros. Melee_ as Link's best friend at the Castle. What do you think? Tell me in your reviews! I'll also write more about other people like Impa, Ryla and Malon, I think (if you think it would be bad to add Roy as well, since Marth's in this story already, it's just because I like them both so much!) ^_^

If this story would end unexpectedly, I'm considering writing a _second part _of it. With adding the Triforce thing (which probably will become very important later) I think that it maybe would be better if I wrote about that in a second part. More about it in the last chapter. That's it for now! Please review!

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..**


	15. In bad faith

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Legend of Zelda or anything that relates to it, except for this story.****

**A/N: **First of all I'd like to thank you, reviewers! I'm happy to see that I've now received over 100 reviews for this story, and that's what makes me doubt I'll end it… I'm also glad you obviously liked the last chapter, though Link and Zelda fought. I wanted to make this story somewhat different, which I thought I did by writing about their quarrel.

I also wrote about Marth in chapter 14, and the text also refers to the murder attempt at the ball. If I didn't say it earlier; I can tell you that the Queen bribed one of the Castle soldiers to murder the Prince, but nobody was ever caught for it. The Queen herself was never suspected for attempted murder, either. But that's beside the point. Read and enjoy, and I hope you won't forget to review.

I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing chapter 14: **Foofbunny**, for being a frequent reviewer and helping me with ideas to both this story and _How Things Change_. **GuruGuru214**, for your support and the IM conversations. **Ani1**, for reviewing frequently and sending the wonderful e-mails. **Babonwonsuni**, for reviewing. **Keaton**, for reviewing twice (_Marth and Roy, whom you'll see in this chapter, are both from the game Fire Emblem, which was only released in __Japan__. A lot of people know them from SSBM, and so do I_). **Anime-Master7**, for probably being the most frequent reviewer of this story. You have reviewed every single chapter, I think. Thank you! **Aeris Deathscythe**, for the review and the nice words. **Mily**, for sending me wonderful reviews and being so nice to me on MSN. **Silver Eyes Bright** and **Zelda-is-me**, for reviewing. **Selah Lahai Roi**, for the **_longest_** review I've ever received and her opinions! And eventually, **dan heron**, for sending me that neat review. Thanks, I'll ask you if I'm wondering about something. _*Thank you, all of you, I'm grateful for your support!*_

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Chapter fifteen: **In bad faith **

Sheik's POV

I moaned slightly, covering my right hand with my other to hide the burning Triforce mark on the back of my hand. It surely did hurt, though I couldn't understand why. I had no idea how I got it, either. I was sure it was the Triforce pattern: three small triangles, forming one big triangle. One of the triangles was glowing as though it was made of gold. But it made absolutely no sense at all. When I touched the mark on my hand, it felt just as smooth as my skin, it was like the mark was _inside_ me, somehow…

And it was that terrible bruise on my cheek, too. It had been inflicted by Link, and it wouldn't heal. Why? I had no idea. Therefore, I had worn my Sheikah garments every day since Link left, making sure to cover my face so Impa would not see the terrible bruise and the tears that stained my cheeks. Don't ask me why I had been crying. I guess I regretted what I did. Yes, I admitted that, I was sorry for what I did and what I said, but there was no way to undo it now. I supposed life would go on…

But how long could I stand it? Living in this damned house, living as another person, not being able to show my feelings, not even who I truly was beyond these crimson eyes of mine. I couldn't show my sorrow or pain for anyone, well, except for Tatl. She was my fairy, and she had been since I left the woods. She could be really annoying sometimes, but all in all, she was a great friend and she meant so much to me. She and I couldn't be seen together, because the Sheikah people didn't have any guardian fairies and people would ask me questions. And I hated questions. I loathed attention I didn't want to have.

I wrapped the pieces of cloth tightly around my hand and wrist over again, covering the glowing mark. In the beginning, it had just been a darker spot on my skin, but lately, it had begun glowing brightly as well. And it hurt so much. It was an indescribable pain, a pain that didn't belong in this world… _what am I thinking?_ I thought. _It's just a coincidence, that's all. And it has absolutely nothing to do with him, has it? _I hit a heavy iron candlestick that was placed on the table in frustration. It hit the wooden floor with a loud crash, leaving a deep mark in the wood. Like I would care. I hardly cared for anything anymore. So why was I in such a bad mood?

"What's the matter? Something seems to be troubling you", Tatl stated. She had been asleep peacefully on the windowsill until I hit that candlestick. I nodded. She settled herself down opposite me on the table. Although I couldn't see it, I could feel her looking at me.

"Well, sort of, yeah", I mumbled, finishing wrapping the pieces of cloth around my wrist. I didn't elaborate.

"So…?" said Tatl impatiently.

"Okay then, I'll tell you", I sighed. "Ever since Link and I fought, I've been in a really bad mood, so… well, to put it bluntly, I guess I'm sorry for what I did to him. I want to apologize, but I can't."

"Why not?" 

"For Goddesses' sake, Tatl! I'm here, he's at the Castle, and he hates me! That's why!" I exclaimed angrily. _And now you're getting angry at Tatl, too! You're such a genius, _I thought.

"All right, then. Go there and talk to him and tell me about the whole thing when you've chilled a little", Tatl said icily, slowly floating out of the room. I cursed myself. _This is just great_. When Tatl had disappeared, Impa entered the room. I knew she had been over at Ryla's place. Of course I was happy for her! I mean, she had found her sister at last, but since she spent so much time with her, she hardly had any time to be with me. I felt lonely… _That's ridiculous,_ a voice inside me said. _Of course Impa wants to be with her sister. She hasn't met her sister ever before! Don't be selfish._

"Hi, Sheik", Impa said. "I'm sorry it took so long."

I mumbled something inaudible. "I have something for you… a gift", Impa told me. I looked at her, pretending to be mildly interested in what she was going to say.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Link's POV

His blue eyes were peering right through me. It felt as though he could read every single thought that buzzed through my dizzy mind at that very moment. Why couldn't he just read all my thoughts so I didn't have to tell him about Zelda? 

Although I was certain I didn't bother about her anymore, I couldn't deny that I wanted to protect her. I didn't want her to be revealed. I wanted her to be safe. If she thought I was the lucky one – as she'd told me back in Kakariko – I could at least make sure that her life didn't become worse than it already was. But where was Link when his girl needed him? Standing in front of her brother, who had just ordered him to reveal everything about her and ruin her life forever! _This is just great, Link, _I thought sarcastically. _You're the lucky one. Of course you are. How could you ever think anything else? But how come you have to make all these damn decisions? _

Marth raised his eyebrows suspiciously, obviously wondering why I still hadn't responded to his question. "Link?" he said. 

"Yes?" I said, snapping out of my thoughts. Barely noticeable, I took a step towards the stable entrance. Marth was now standing between me and Epona…

"Marth, I…" The words were stuck in my throat and I knew I wouldn't be able to pronounce them, no matter how hard I tried. I took a step backwards, and with a last glance at Marth, I turned around as fast as I could and ran away from him, ran from everything.

I was glad Marth couldn't follow me. He would probably tell the King everything – especially that I had disobeyed him – but that couldn't stop me from running. I ran to town, elbowing my way through the crowded Market place and bumping into a person about hundred yards from the drawbridge.

"I'm terribly sorry, ma'am", I said hastily, helping the woman to her feet. "I didn't watch where I was going…"

Suddenly I realized that the woman was staring at me. She literally _stared_ at me. With this uneasy feeling in my stomach, I tried to make my way past her, but she stopped me.

"You! Link!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together happily. "I was wondering when I'd see you again."

"Who are you? How come you know my-" Hey, nobody could have hair redder than that one! "_Malon_?"

"You do remember me! I was afraid you'd have forgotten."

"How could I forget about you? It's really been a while, though."

"Yeah, sure has. What were you running from, anyway? You looked like the whole Army was hot on your heels!" she giggled. 

I shrugged. "Well, it's a long story. Can we go somewhere else?"

"Sure, come on!" Malon dragged me along with her until we reached the peaceful back alleys of town. It was all calm and nearly quiet around us, but the sounds of yelling voices and barking dogs from the Market could still be heard. I had no idea how to tell Malon about what had happened without revealing Zelda's secret…

"So what did you run for?" Malon asked curiously. 

"Malon… I'm not sure if I can tell you. It's a really long story. But I disobeyed the Prince, and that's why I ran."  
"You did?" she said, turning slightly pale.

"Yes, I did, but it doesn't matter. My life can't get worse now anyway", I said, laughing cheerlessly.

Malon looked at me quizzically. "I fought… with a friend", I said, almost inaudible. "And I hurt her… she said she hated me…"

"Nobody could ever hate you", Malon said, and in an attempt to comfort me, she hugged me tightly. I felt my own body tense, but then I relaxed, hugging her back.

"Thank you, Malon", I said when she released me. "I'm glad you understand how I feel."

"I know what it's like to argue with someone", she assured me. "Mr Ingo, you know, the farmhand on the ranch, has gone completely mad. He says he's worked too hard for so many years, while my father just slept all day. That isn't true, of course, but he's a good liar. He's told the Queen that Talon can't manage to take care of the ranch anymore… and now my father has to move from Lon Ranch and Mr Ingo will be the owner instead…"

She paused, trying to keep her tears back, but I saw a tear trickle down her fair cheek. "He's abusing the horses and the other animals, Link. Ophelia almost died when he whipped her, and I'm not sure if she'll survive… I just can't understand why he's doing this."

I embraced her again, trying to comfort her, somehow. But I had no idea how to do it. Crying girls weren't what I had to face every day. "It'll be all right, Malon", I said quietly, indeed hoping that it would be.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"What are you doing out here, all alone?" I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up. Next to the stone bench I was sitting on, stood Roy, one of the young servants. He could be very annoying sometimes – well, to be honest, he was _always_ annoying, but he seemed to like me. But I didn't want any friends. I wanted people to leave me alone.

"None of your business", I responded icily, looking down on the item in my lap. It was the Fairy ocarina Saria had given me. I'd found it among my other things. It's strange, I had forgotten about it, but I could remember what Saria told me, though. 

_"If you ever want to talk to me, play my song. Then we will be able to talk to each other again…"_

I glanced around the moonlit courtyard. It surely was beautiful. When she was a kid, Zelda had ran around here, playing and laughing… I had to stop thinking of her now. I didn't bother about her anymore. So why was she still on my mind? I needed something else to keep focused on. Maybe I should try and play Saria's song? It was worth to try.

"You don't like me, do you?" Roy asked. Uh-oh, I hadn't been prepared for that question.

"Why wouldn't I?" 

"You don't seem to like me, that's all…" Roy's voice was sad, and suddenly I felt sorry for him.

"I do like you. But I've been in a bad mood the last week. You see, I fought with… with a friend of mine." Of course I couldn't tell him that this friend was _Princess Zelda_. But lying all the time was getting too much for me to bear…

"Oh, I understand." _No, you don't_. _Nobody can understand this, you least of all. _

There was an awkward silence. I was looking at the little instrument in my hand, lost in my own thoughts. "What's that?" asked Roy eventually. His voice was curious and although I had wanted to, I couldn't say something mean to him. 

"It's an ocarina", I said. "It's an instrument that the Kokiri tribe use to play."

"The Kokiri tribe? Never heard of them before."  
"Well, they're not exactly showing themselves to people. They're living deep inside the woods, so nobody can ever see them…"

"But obviously you could."

_This boy is quicker than I thought… _"Um, yes, but it's a long story. I can't tell anyone… at least not right now."

Roy sat down next to me, with his back leaning against the armrest of the stone bench. _Hey, the only person who has hair redder than his is Malon!_ "Why don't you play a tune for me? I'm sure you're good."

"Oh, well, okay…" _Why did I say that? _However, I decided to play the song I'd played when Malon and I were standing in the corral at the ranch. It was odd, I could still remember it clearly. I had decided to call it Epona's song, since the horse liked the simple melody so much. I blew slightly into the pipe of the tiny instrument, hearing a loud, clear tone. I placed my fingers above the holes on the surface and lifted them in a different order as I blew into the pipe. It was three simple notes – up, left, right. Up, left, right. Easy, still so beautiful and spellbounding to listen to.

"You _are_ good with that", Roy said and smiled at me. I lowered the instrument, and to my great surprise, I smiled back at him and got this strange feeling inside me. It was almost like I enjoyed Roy's company. Was it possible to have him as a friend? Was it possible to forget about Zelda and move on? _Yes_, I said to myself. _Yes, it's possible._

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Saria's POV

I was lying in my bed, trying to sleep. I couldn't. Although it was nearly midnight, I could not find rest anywhere. 

"I might as well go for a walk… maybe visiting the Temple would be a good idea…"

I took the ocarina and a set of Deku nuts with me. I would need the Deku nuts as weapons if I was attacked by some ghastly creature. The ocarina was made of wood and made from the trunk of the Great Deku Tree. He had died shortly after Link and Zelda left and nobody knew why. It was like the two children had had a certain influence upon the Forest spirit, and when they left, his life force vanished. It was almost like Link and Zelda had special powers… but how could it be possible? 

I had to be very careful to get to the Sacred Forest Meadow. Beasts and dangerous creatures like Deku Scrubs and Wolfos were roaming around in the maze that was the Lost Woods. Fortunately, I knew the paths in the woods well, and could find my way through the right tree trunks without getting lost. The Lost Woods were actually a huge maze, with hundreds of clearings that were connected by hollow tree trunks. No wonder hundreds of children had got lost there! 

It was even more dangerous during the night. A pack of Wolfos could most likely attack you at any time, when you weren't prepared for it. It was too quiet in the woods when it was dark, even the Skull kids had stopped singing and giggling in the trees. Sometimes I would see their dark, gleaming eyes look down at me, but I wasn't scared of them. They wouldn't hurt me. 

When I reached the Sacred Forest Meadow, a gate was blocking the entrance to the maze, which led up to the Temple. I let out a grunt of frustration. What had caused all those obstacles, anyway? Before I could do anything, a terrifying howl was heard. A Wolfos. I had never fought one of these creatures before, but I did know how to do it, though. I pulled out of one the Deku nuts and threw it to the ground. It exploded, a flash of white light erupting from it. It blinded the Wolfos for a moment, giving me the time to pick up a stick from the ground and use it as a makeshift weapon. I hit the now vulnerable creature, and it yelped of pain, leaping backwards. New Deku nut, a new swing with the stick. This was easy! 

Finally, I managed to kill the Wolfos and the gate disappeared, just as I had expected, and I could enter the maze. I did know the dangers inside it, though. When I last had been there, annoying Deku Scrubs had been roaming the small passages, but now, as I peered around the corner, I saw something terrible. I don't know how to describe it. It looked like a crossing between a pig and a bull, it was clad in armor, and wielding a huge spear. Oh my, how long had _it _been there? 

I don't know if it was mere luck or if the Goddesses really helped me, but I found a wall covered in wines just outside the maze. Now when I was able to climb it, I could easily cross the maze by jumping on the tops of the stone walls. And now I could also see that the maze was full of those horrible creatures, patrolling up and down in the narrow passages. I swallowed my fear and tried not to think of what they would do to me if I fell down into the maze. 

In the end of the maze, a particularly big one of the monsters stood, holding a huge club in its hands. How would I get past this one? I hadn't time to consider that, though, because the monster had noticed me. It slammed the club into the ground, sending a line of vibrations along it. I stepped out of the way. Then I realized how I would easily get past this beast. When the next wave of violent vibrations approached me, I ran. The creature aimed for me and slammed the club to the ground. I dodged the blows until I could get past the monster, running up the staircase as fast as I could.

Fortunately, there weren't any monsters here. I went to the stump I used to sit on, gazing up into the night sky. The moon was nearly full, it looked so beautiful against the smooth velvet sky. I sighed dreamily. I thought of Link. That we sat here together, watching the stars… suddenly I felt something. It was like I could _feel_ someone enter my body. Like that person could possess my mind… and then a voice.

*Saria?*

*Link?! Is that you?* How could I ever have forgotten the sound of his voice? It sounded more mature now, though. I realized that he wasn't the person I used to know. This Link was an adult, but I could still recognize his voice.

*Sure is.* I could imagine him smirking as he said that. How were we communicating, anyway? I wasn't speaking, neither was he, it was like we were speaking with our minds. 

*I played your song, Saria. I had nearly forgotten what you told me. I'm sorry.*

*Don't be. I'm happy you haven't forgotten me.*

*How could I ever forget you? You're still my best friend, Saria. I've realized that by now.*

He seemed to be thinking, because he didn't say anything in a while. I decided to try to ask him something. *How are you and Zelda?* Right when I had asked that question, I knew it was the wrong thing to ask. When Link answered, his voice was muffled and full of irritation and sorrow.

*It's a long story, but we… we argued, and I haven't seen her in a while.*

*I'm sorry for that, Link… I wish I could help you.*

*You can help me. Tell me how to apologize to a girl.* I laughed quietly. The same shy, childish and still cocky Link I used to know! 

*I wouldn't know. Just tell her you're sorry for what happened.* 

*It's not easy, you know. She probably hates me.*

*I'm sure she doesn't.*

*Well, that's good to know. Thanks.* The usual sarcastic voice I was used to. I really missed him…

*Will you come back for a visit someday?* I said – or _thought_ – hopefully. 

*I don't know, Saria. I'm pretty busy right now. I'm in the Army and all.*

*You are? Well, congrats, I suppose. You wanted to learn how to fight even when you lived here.*

*I know. And I'm quite good with the sword, too.* I could imagine him smiling after he said that. I smiled, too. 

*I'm sure you are. I miss you, Link.*

*I miss you, too. I promise we'll meet each other again someday.*

*Promise?* 

*Promise.*

His presence inside my mind was gone, and I felt how much I missed him. But a promise is always a promise. And best friends do not break promises.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Sheik's POV

"My Father gave this to me", Impa said. She had placed a beautiful golden harp upon the wooden table. I stared at it, astonished. Was she really… was she really giving that to _me_? 

"When he died, I swore to myself that I would always take good care of it", she continued. I was barely listening. "And I want to give this to you. I'm sure you could use it."

"Yeah", I said breathlessly. "I'm sure I can. Thank you, Impa."

She smiled. "You're welcome, Sheik."

I stood up and took the harp in both of my hands. It wasn't as heavy as I had expected, in fact, it was so light I could easily hold it in one of my hands. I pulled the strings carefully. A clear, tinny tone was heard. A magical sound.

"Can you teach me how to play?" I asked. Impa nodded. 

"I know some magical warp songs you can use to teleport yourself to different places, Sheik. I can teach them all to you, if you wish." I nodded curiously. 

"The first of them is the _Prelude of Light_. It can take you to the Temple of Time in Hyrule Castle Town. It's played like this." She took the harp from me and pulled the strings in a certain order. First she pulled the upper part of the string in the middle, then one of the strings to the right, a little lower this time, to make a muffled, yet thin sound. Then she repeated it. At last, the pulled the middle string again, then left. She had played the song slowly, so I'd catch it. I was fascinated.

"Let me try", I said. Then I pulled the strings slowly in order, getting the song right after just two attempts. "Why won't anything happen?" I asked in confusion.

"You weren't playing it fast enough. When you want to teleport yourself, you need to play the song as fast as you can."

"Thank you, Aunt Impa", I said, giving her a hug.

"You're welcome, Sheik", she said again, watching me closely with those peculiar eyes of hers. "I- I think I'll try and play a few songs right now", I said and left the room, and idea forming in my head. Would it really work…? I shut the door to my chamber, sitting down on the bed and placing the golden, magical instrument in my lap. I pulled the strings in the right order and waited. Nothing happened. I sighed in annoyance. Then I tried again. Still nothing. I was beginning to loose the little patience I had now. But I decided to try again anyway. I pulled the strings in what I knew was the right order, not too slow, and then I waited. When nothing happened, I attempted to put the harp aside, but before I could move, I was taken away in a flash of yellow light.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Link's POV

I was tossing and turning in my sleep, stirring, but not waking up… and I don't think I need to mention whom I was thinking of. Her tear-stained face, looking at me with despair in those heavenly blue, or red eyes, for that matter… _Oh Farore, please help me to think of something else. Please._

As soon as I thought that, a sharp pain shot through my body. I opened my eyes abruptly, feeling the pain erupt from the back of my hand. The Triforce mark. It was glowing stronger than ever before, and I winced in pain, pressing my right hand to my left, on the edge of crying. It seemed as though I had upset Them by thinking those thoughts… 

"Air", I mumbled, stumbling out of the dorms where the soldiers slept. I looked at Roy's bed. He was obviously awake, his eyes glittering in the dark. He sat up in his bed, but I quickly shook my head. I didn't know why, but I felt that I wanted to be alone. 

It must have been about two in the morning, but I couldn't have cared less right then. I staggered out in the fresh air, instinctively heading to the courtyard. The pain was shooting through my body, and I thought I would go insane. _Please, just stop it_…If the Goddesses really existed, They would help me! How was I supposed to have faith in Them now? They hadn't helped me at all, ever.

I leaned my back against a tree, feeling its rough, cool bark against my heated skin. I didn't even freeze, although I was only wearing a pair of white breeches. I shut my eyes and tried to deal with the pain. It wasn't easy, I can tell you. What had caused this? 

Suddenly, I felt a pair of eyes on me. Startled, I opened my own and looked around in the courtyard in confusion. I was alone, it was no one there except me… the white, smooth stone walls shone like silver in the pale moonlight, the windows were glittering at me like dark, empty eye sockets. I got this creepy feeling again, a feeling that sent uneasy chills down my spine. _Somebody was looking at me. But I couldn't see anyone_.

I heard a slight, muffled sound. I saw a shadow release itself from the shadows underneath one of the trees. It approached me slowly, its footsteps rustling in the grass, which was wet with morning dew. When it stopped about two yards away from me, I suddenly realized everything. The crimson eye on the figure's chest was proof enough…

"Sheik?"

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**A/N:** There might be one or two more chapters of this story. I'll explain some things for you all in the next chapter. And as I don't think I'm good at writing that stuff, or maybe it is 'cause I don't like those stories too much, I won't write anything too sappy or too mushy. I do know some people like it, and this _is_ a romance story, after all… 

I have nothing more to add right now. For those of you who wanted to read more about the evil Queen thing, you will in the next chapter.Please review and I'll be back with another chapter in a week, I think. School is a real pain, and with tests, homework and stuff, it's not easy to update frequently. But I'll try, I'll try! See you soon! Until then, have a nice week and please review! Ja ne!

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..**


	16. It takes two to mend a broken heart

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_ or anything that relates to it, except for this story. The _LoZ_ characters and such are all property of Nintendo. 

**A/N: **Thank you so much for the reviews! XD I love you, reviewers! *hugs you all* I don't have so much to say right now, but before I'll start writing on chapter 16, I'd like to ask you to vote in the poll in the end of this chapter. If you dislike sappy or mushy content, I'd suggest you not to read this chapter. It's as sappy as it can be (in my opinion…).

**Some notes about the reviews I got** I'll respond to the critical review I got from **MagischeEngel**. I would have sent you an e-mail, but then I thought I should write this here so everybody can see it. Apparently, you don't like the Link/Zelda pairing. Lemme ask you two questions. Why did you read my story if you knew it contained L/Z pairing (I think I wrote it very clearly in the summary) and you dislike that they're together? And why would I write a Link/Zelda romance story if I wasn't a hardcore L/Z fan?

I am, as many people are Malinkers, an avid Zelinker. I believe Link and Zelda are destined to be together. Besides, they _look_ really good together too. A very cute couple. ^_^ And in _Legend of Zelda_, royalty isn't boring at all. My story follows the storyline of OoT, though Link won't be known as the Hero of Time. And if you read the other chapters of this story – though I doubt you did, because you judged my story just after the first chapter – you would have realized that Zelda is more of a tomboy in this fic. 

**Iris Tigerlily Hardbottle**, thank you for the review. I'm glad you're reading the story to your brother. Anyways, Marth isn't Zelda's brother. In the game, she doesn't have a brother at all. But I didn't make him up. Both Marth and Roy are from a game called _Fire Emblem_ (released in Japan only) but I know them from _SSBM_. About the Harkinian thing: I don't think Harkinian is the King's first name, but it's Zelda's last name. Since I don't know what the King's real name is, I decided to call him just 'King Harkinian'. 

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Chapter sixteen: **It takes two to mend a broken heart**

The eye – the symbol of the Sheikah tribe – was crying, a single tear of blood trickling down the chest of Sheik, whose crimson eyes revealed that a heart full of regrets was throbbing beyond the white cloths and flesh. The scarlet eye was reflecting Sheik's own emotions. A single tear was running down a tanned cheek, only to be wiped away while Sheik slowly began unwrapping the cloths that covered the head and lower parts of his face. Then a hand was raised, a spell uttered, and the Sheikah man was gone, to be replaced by the features and beauty of a young Hylian woman. She had a shy, sad smile on her lips.

The Hylian man was watching the transformation anxiously. Fear could be seen in his blue eyes, although he didn't seem like the kind of person who would show his fear to anyone. His hands were groping for a grip on the tree trunk behind him, to steady himself from something, whatever it might be. The pain was more intense now.

The girl, whose eyes were now the blue ones he once knew, looked at him without saying anything. The silence around them was loud, too much for them to bear.

"… Zelda." The mere sound of her name changed the girl's behavior. She nodded. "What are you doing out here? It's cold." 

"I couldn't sleep."

The former Princess drew a deep breath. "Oh… um… I came here to… I came here to… to say I'm sorry for everything. I want to apologize."

"Me too. I'm really sorry, Zelda." His voice was soft and sincere. He really meant what he said. "I guess you still hate me and-"

"No, I don't! It was just something I said. I could never hate you. I…" The girl's cheeks turned a slight pink when she remembered what she had said to him…

"Have you ever thought of how much you can miss a person? I did miss you, Zelda, more than I ever thought I would. I didn't mean anything of those things I said to you."

"Me neither. I really missed you…" Zelda fought to hold back the tears that burned in her eyes, but soon she gave up and let them flow freely. Some time ago, she had thought she hated this man, but now, those emotions were all gone. He was once again the Link she knew and loved. The one who cared about her when no one else did. 

"You're right, it's a bit chilly out here", Link admitted. He approached her slowly, wrapping his arms around her and giving her the embrace she needed more than anything right then. She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting her own tears fall on his naked skin. 

"I've realized something", she said, leaning her head against his shoulder. "As long as you're happy, I don't care what will happen to me. I just want you to be happy. It's all that matters."

"Zelda", he said quietly into her hair. "I'm not happy without you. I thought you'd know that."

She smiled to herself. "I do, now." 

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

During Queen Rose's government, things hadn't been the same in Hyrule. The King's former wife, Queen Veilla, had ruled the country with wisdom and justice. Queen Rose was her opposite, a sly, evil woman who had seemed as the perfect Queen but deceived them all.

She forced the people to pay a higher amount of rupees to the Royal family, but although she was wealthy, she couldn't have cared less about the homeless people who lived on the streets of town. The only of her duties she cared about, were those who would bring more money. When Zora's Domain froze over and Zoras who lived there were trapped under a thick sheet of ice, she didn't do anything. Neither did the King or the Crown Prince. Nobody did anything to defeat the evil being which lived in the Water Temple and caused the problems. 

Poverty became a big problem in Hyrule, Gerudo thieves left their Fortress and roamed the streets of Hyrule Castle Town, robbing people and even killing the innocent. Ingo had kicked Talon out of the ranch and he'd had the care of the ranch for some years now. Queen Rose herself was fond of one of the best horses on the ranch, named Ophelia, a young mare with white fur and a peculiar black spot on her nose. The young horse would become the Queen's private steed as soon as she'd had some training.

A fire would soon ravage in Kakariko, and it would cause great devastation. People were whispering things about an evil being that lived deep underneath the ground, in the caves of the well. A house had been built there once, but it had been destroyed and burnt down to ashes when the Gerudo people attacked Kakariko many years ago, and then, the people in Kakariko built a well there instead. Now people were talking about a Shadow Temple and an eye that could see the truth…

It was just the Kokiri tribe that didn't know anything about the things that were going on outside the forest – except for a particular girl, Saria. Somehow, she could sense what was going on and even talk to a person outside the woods. The other Kokiri became suspicious, things like that weren't normal, were they? They said that Saria had dangerous powers, and they also blamed her for killing The Great Deku Tree. Saria would wander alone in the Lost Woods, singing to herself or playing the ocarina. 

Queen Rose of Hyrule was planning things that no one else knew about. With a peculiar Triforce mark glowing on her right hand, she could think of things more evil than anyone else. The mark on the back of her hand gave her the Power to rule Hyrule, and she became wicked because of it. Nobody could ever see the darkness beyond her sweet features… except for the other chosen ones. 

However, everything changed when the Royal family announced that they were preparing the arrival of a new Prince or Princess. 

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Marth's POV

When I was sitting in the library, studying or reading, Romani would be a very good friend, almost like the little sister I had lost. I couldn't ride a horse, nor run or fence with a sword anymore due to the wounds I had got when someone attempted to murder me at the ball, two years ago. Those wounds would never heal. I would carry the scars and deal with the pain for the rest of my life. 

This was also the perfect opportunity for my Father's wife to give birth to an heir to the throne. I would never be the next King… my wounds were too serious, and as King, I couldn't stay inside all day. I would never deal with the duties I'd have if I became a King.

"What are you doing?" Romani, of course. Who else? I turned my head slowly in her direction. She was looking at me gleefully, her red hair shining in the light of the setting sun, which was shining in through the high library windows. 

"Nothing… thinking."

"Why, Marth, you're always thinking."

"I don't have anything else to do."

"Why won't you come with me and Mom to Kakariko? We'll do some shopping today and take a look at the new Shooting gallery." It seemed as though Romani really thought that woman was her real mother, but I would never trust the Queen.

"Um… I don't know, Romani, I don't feel like it."

She pouted, and then gave me the eyes of a puppy dog. "Please? For me? Pleeease?"

"Oh, all right, then, I'm coming."

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Link's POV

The day after we had met each other again, Zelda went back to Kakariko. Only hours after she had left the Castle, I felt the Triforce mark on my left hand starting to burn like hell again. Fear rose inside me, and I didn't know what to do. I felt so helpless, so defenceless… then another shock of sharp pain shot through my body. Suddenly, I realized everything. _Zelda! _

Something was going on in Kakariko, and I had to be there to help Zelda, whatever it was she was facing. I could feel her emotions… it seemed as though the Triforce marks connected us, somehow… would we be able to talk to each other with our thoughts, like Saria and I had done? 

"Link! Where are you going?" Roy shouted after me. We had been practicing in the courtyard, trying some new sword tricks and moves. But now, I hadn't time to explain anything.

"Nowhere", I yelled back. "But it's urgent!" 

"Can I come?" 

"No!" I was running to the stables to get Epona. Roy was following me. _Maybe he could help you? _a little voice in the back of my head said. I couldn't deny it… "Um, okay, but stay out of the way if it comes to battle", I panted. _Was I thinking __Roy__ couldn't do anything just because he was two years younger than me?_ I thought as I put the saddle on Epona and swung myself onto her back. She neighed, obviously displeased. She didn't want to go anywhere.

"Come on, girl", I said, digging the heels of my boots into her sides. "Hurry!" I shouted at Roy. He was also ready to go, sitting on his horse, a black stallion named Storm. Opposite me and Epona, Roy was using reins to control his horse. I didn't need any, I knew Epona too well and could control her direction with my knees. Besides, I needed to be able to hold a sword or shooting with the bow while riding. And that wasn't easy, but one of the things I was learning at the Castle. 

Navi, who had been asleep inside my hat, woke up and asked me what was going on. "Something really bad is happening in Kakariko", I explained to her. 

"What are you two going to do?"

"I don't know it yet", I said impatiently. "We'll see when we get there."

I goaded Epona through the crowded streets of town, shouting at people to get out of our way. I could feel my own panic rise within every second, just because I didn't know what was going on. If something had happened to Zelda, I wouldn't be able to help her before we got to Kakariko. Occasionally, I felt the terrible pain erupt from the mark on my hand. People were yelling things at us, but I didn't hear them. I could only hear my own heartbeat throbbing in my ears. 

The drawbridge was getting nearer. We rode across the crowded market place, passed by the Shooting Gallery and the Bombchu Bowling and reached the road that lead out of town. The horse's hooves were rumbling like the thunder against the wood when we rode over the drawbridge, and I was afraid that it would burst under the weight. I could imagine falling down into the cold water in the moat… we headed directly towards the small bridge that lead over the river and took the way up the stairs to the village. It was a little hard for the horses, but they managed to do it. When I spotted the thick, black smoke, I knew this couldn't be good.

"Oh my Goddesses", Roy gasped. "What has caused this?" 

"I have no idea", I said sternly, "but I'll find out."

Sheik was standing by the well in the middle of the village, just below the Windmill Inn. He had his back turned at me, so I couldn't see his face. I rode up to him, and then dismounted Epona. I told Roy to help the villagers to handle the fire. 

"Sheik", I said softly. He slowly turned his head to look at me. His tanned cheeks were stained with tears."

"I came here because I felt that something was wrong", I explained.

"Thank you, Link, but it seems you're too late."

"Why? We can help people to extinguish the fire-"

Sheik sniffed and wiped the tears away. "Yeah. I guess we can."

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

"We're done over here… it's just that house left", I said, pointing at the last house in the village that was still on fire. The unmistakable smell of smoke hung in the air. People were wailing and yelling, some of them because of the loss of someone close to them. The fire had caused great devastation. Seven people or more were lost. 

"How's it going?" I heard Roy ask me. I wiped the sweat of my brow, heading to the well to get another bucket of water.

"All right, I guess. What caused the fire, anyway?" I bent down, pulling at the rope, then attaching the wooden bucket to the hook in the end of it. 

"I asked a few people, but they had no idea, either", Roy said, leaning against the wall of the nearest house, watching me lowering the rope, then pull it upwards again.

"I think someone mentioned something about a Temple", I said quietly, seizing the bucket, now filled with water, and heading to the house that was still on fire.

"Perhaps they're right", Roy said thoughtfully as he also got a new bucket of water.

"Link! I really need to talk to you." It was Sheik. He was tugging at my sleeve impatiently. I turned to face him, and I could see the tears running down his face, his crimson eyes full of fear and sorrow. He dragged me away, until we were standing about fifty yards away from the other people.

"It has to be really urgent, Sheik", I said. "I need to help them with the fire, otherwise more people will die-"

"It's just that! Would you please listen to me now?" 

I nodded seriously. "You know some people were killed by the fire. They were all burnt to death-" Sheik choked on his words, then let out a quiet sob. 

"And two of these people were obviously named Marth and Romani Harkinian."

I dropped the bucket.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

The lower part of Kakariko village had been totally destroyed by the fierce fire. The fire had been stopped just below the well and the Windmill Inn, and the houses on the slope of Death Mountain had not been reached at all. Nobody knew what had caused the disaster. 

Two people that had been hurt by the fire were still alive. One of them was Marth Harkinian, Crown Prince of Hyrule. He was taken care of in Impa's house. The Sheikah woman knew a lot about different healing methods and herbs. At the moment, six people were sitting in the living room, and they weren't talking to each other. They all needed to think things through and handle their sorrow.

There were Link, Roy and Sheik, who was crying silently. There also were Ryla, Tato and their daughter Weal. Their house had been completely burnt down, and now they were staying in Impa's house instead. Weal was crying against her father's shoulder, and he had wrapped his arms carefully around her. Suddenly, Impa entered the room.

"Sheik? I think you should come. And Link, you can come with him, too." They both stood up and went inside the chamber where Marth lay on the bed. He seemed to be asleep peacefully, but he stirred and opened his eyes slowly as he heard them enter. Impa then left the room and closed the door, leaving the three of them alone. 

Marth didn't say anything. Bandages were wrapped around his stomach, chest and arms, his skin full of large bruises and scratches. Sheik was watching him in despair. He only knew one thing to do. He slowly unwrapped the cloth that covered his head and face, letting the long, blonde hair fall down over the shoulders, revealing the Sheikah boy's real identity.

"Zelda", Marth whispered, barely audible. Of course he recognized her, though her skin now was tanned and dark and her eyes were a strange, crimson color. She nodded slowly. 

"I knew it." A tiny smile was seen in the corner of the Prince's mouth. "I knew you weren't dead."

Zelda smiled fondly, and tried to hold back her tears, but it wasn't possible. She watched the deadly pale, tired face of the big brother she knew and loved, and cried silently, tears trickling down her cheeks and falling down onto the floor. She didn't wipe them away. Instead, she kneeled down beside the bed, taking her brother's hand in her own and squeezing it. She felt Marth squeeze back, and his blue eyes met hers.

"You've become so beautiful, Zelda… you've always been." He coughed a few times, and it obviously took a lot of his remaining strength. 

"Why… why wouldn't you tell me, Link?" Marth asked quietly, looking at Link. "You knew it all the time, didn't you?"

"Yes, but I… I didn't want to hurt Zelda", Link said, meeting Marth's gaze. "I didn't want to reveal who she was because I care about her."

"So do I", Marth breathed, almost inaudible. "I really do. I'm glad I met you again, Zelda…"

His voice fainted, and he closed his eyes with a heavy sigh. Zelda squeezed his hand tightly again, but this time, she could feel no response. 

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Link soon discovered that comforting a disconsolate person and mending a broken heart was far from easy. But in the toughest times, Zelda needed him to hold on to, and he would be there for her. He was the only one to listen to her words, tell her soothing things and wipe her tears away. It was also by this time, when Impa told them that Queen Rose was pregnant with an heir-to be of the throne, that Zelda made the most important decision of her life. She would give up everything she had wanted to do, everything she wanted to be – to take the place as what she was born to be, a Princess. 

It would not be simple. It would be the hardest thing they had ever done before, but there was no doubt they would make it to the end. They could do anything, if only they were together.

_They were watching from the Heavens, and They smiled to each other. Their chosen ones were on their way to discover who they really were. But still, they had a long way to go before they got there. _

"Link? I want to show you something."

"Oh, really? What is it?" Link entered Zelda's chamber, and stopped dead in his tracks as he saw her. The way she should be. The way she was supposed to be. She was smiling sweetly at him, her cerulean eyes meeting his. Her blonde hair was falling down her back, leaving two strands on each side of her face. The light tiara with a red gem, a ruby, in the center and the Triforce earrings showed her Royal status. The young man in the green tunic had never seen her like this before.

"Wow."  
"That's all you can say?" 

"I guess. But I thought you disliked dresses."

"I do. I have to get used to it, though. This is for Hyrule's sake, Link. And my own. I can't let that child be born and rule this country as Queen Rose has done. I'm doing it for my family… for Marth."

"I'm aware of that", he said with a slight smile. "And it's the right thing to do. Marth could never become a King, Zelda. He would have wanted you to do this."

She nodded, tears glittering in the corners of her eyes. Link looked at her closely, and then he realized something. "The bruise on your cheek is gone."

She nodded. "Yes. And so is yours."

He lowered his head to taste the softness of her lips. When they broke apart, Zelda said: "Link, I just thought about something I've never said to you."

"What?" 

"Isn't it obvious?" she teased, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. He grinned sheepishly. 

"So, are you ready for this, Princess?" he asked her seriously.

"As ready as I can be. What do you think my Father will say when I return?" 

"He'll be proud of you, Zelda. Just as proud as I am of you. And if Marth and Veilla could see you, they'd be proud of you, too. You've become so much more than you were before. You left the Castle as a Princess, and you are returning as a true Queen."

She smiled. "I would never have done it without you, Link." 

He offered his arm, and she took it. "Let's go."

------------------------------------------------

**A/N: **There's another chapter done! This one was a little short, but all in all, I was pleased with this chapter. ^_^ Some things in this story aren't finished, though, like the Triforce thing and the quest to defeat the evil Queen. I'm considering writing _part 2_ of this story, but I'm leaving it to you to decide whether I should do it or not. If you review, would you like to tell me this:

_(1) If you want to see the second part of this story,_

_(2) if you only want a sequel,_

_(3) or if you want me to end it right here._

I'm pretty unsure of what to do, so it's up to you to decide! If you choose number 1, it will take some time for me to come up with ideas for the second part, I think… and I also want to get some more time to write on my other stories. I guess that's all for now. Please review! 

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..**


	17. PART II: Deception

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything. You know the drill.

**Author's notes: **Hi everybody, and thanks for the reviews! I was sitting in the computer room in my school when I checked my e-mails and saw the amount of very nice reviews I had got! Guess who was happy all day? I appreciate your support so much! 

I guess I should write something about the poll in the last chapter. None of you thought I should end the story right now - which I was very happy for indeed. I'll keep this story going as long as I can – and I really hope that horrible writer's block stays away from me! I want to thank _Selah Lahai Roi_ for making me realize a lot of important things about being an author. Go and read her reviews if you're feeling like it.

Be warned, this chapter is very sketchy and 'soap opera-ish' (is that an actual word?) *shrugs* I don't know if that's a bad thing. Tell me if you review! If you've read the OoT manga – which I suppose you have – you'll recognize some of the events from the manga in this chapter. This fic might contain lemony content later, but I haven't quite decided about it yet. I'm not too fond of that kind of writing, but I would like to try it sometime. But that's a problem I will deal with later. Now on with this.

------------------------------------------------

**_PART II_**

Chapter seventeen:** Deception**

Zelda's POV

"Who are you?"

"I am certain thou know, child."

"I don't know you. What do you want with me?"

"What did thy mother tell thee?"

"I never knew my mother!" 

"Thou did. I am thy mother, as well as I am thee. Thy mother lives in me. I live in everyone."

"I don't know you!" I screamed, trying to escape from the strong, blue light that erupted from the being before me. What was happening to me? Only minutes ago, I had been riding over Hyrule Field with Link, Impa and Roy.

"Thou do know me, but thou have never met me before."

"Stop talking in riddles!" I spat angrily. "Let me out of here! I have something to do-"

"Yes. And I will help thou." The woman raised her right hand and I could see the Triforce mark on the back of it. One of the triangles was glowing stronger than the others… then she looked at me closely, her heavenly blue hair streaming around her shoulders, although there was no wind. I thought I drowned in those deep, blue eyes of hers. Then I knew.

"_Nayru_?" She nodded at me. I tried to hold back my tears. What had I said to her? "Where am I?"

"It does not matter, child. The important matter is not where thou are – but where thou art headed."

"I don't know. I barely know anything", I sighed, feeling so helpless. The Goddess smiled slightly at me.

"We all know what thou must do", she said softly. "And we will help thou. Thou art never alone, my daughter." The Goddess' glowing features began to disappear…

"Wait-" I said, but Nayru was already gone.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

The rough thing underneath me had to be the grass on Hyrule Field, and I could feel the soft breeze brush my hair. Someone was clutching my shoulders tightly, gently shaking my body. 

"Let go of me", I said, slowly opening my eyes. The eyes that looked back at me were Link's. 

"She's waking up, Impa", he called and released me. Impa appeared next to him, watching me in fear and confusion. I felt slightly irritated, but don't ask me why, perhaps it was just because they cared about me and were worried about me when it wasn't needed. I felt dizzy and I could barely stand. Link, Roy and Impa were all watching me anxiously. How was I supposed to tell them what I had just experienced? _"I just had a vision. Nayru appeared and talked to me."_ That sounded stupid, and I knew none of them would believe me.

"What happened?" Roy asked. "You fell down from the horseback and passed out."

"You could have been hurt", Link said. I could hear the concern in his voice and smiled my best smile at him.  
"I'm fine", I said. "Just fine…"

"Come on, then", Link said and reached out his hand at me. I grabbed it and he helped me to get up. He also helped me getting onto Epona's back again. I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned my head against his back. He dug the heels of his boots into Epona's sides and she sped up, galloping over the field. Roy was riding next to us, and Impa had got a white horse in Kakariko. Surprisingly, Link didn't take the way to Hyrule Castle Town.

"Where are we going?" I asked him.

"To the ranch. I met Malon in town and she told me that Ingo had gone completely mad. He's kicked Talon out of the ranch, and he's abusing the animals, too. Apparently he thought Talon was way too lazy to take charge of the ranch. So he thinks hurting the animals is a better way to 'take care' of a ranch, huh?" 

Link muttered angrily to himself, and my eyes widened with fear. Who knew what Ingo would possibly do? "What about Ophelia? Did she tell you anything about her?"

Link shook his head. "No, but we'll found out. I just hope Malon is okay…"

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Flashback, 17 years ago

HyruleCastle

"How is she?" Rose Naltay asked anxiously. She was about 22 years old, tall and slim, with dark hazel eyes and light brown hair. If her father hadn't been a Hylian, her skin would have been dark and tanned. Her mother had been a Gerudo from the western Desert, but Rose had never known her. The Gerudo women just came to town to find Hylian men and have a little fun. Rose's mother had become pregnant after one of those visits, and had returned to the Desert after nine months, leaving Rose behind. 

Rose's father came from one of the noble families in Hyrule Castle Town, but Rose barely met her father at all during her childhood. She had grown up with her aunt, her grandmother and her three siblings, and she had been educated and raised to be a rich and noble young lady, a lady who held a fierce detestation against the poor people. She thought everyone with less money than her family should be treated like dirt.

Rose Naltay had met Veilla Harkinian, the young Queen, at a ball at the Castle. Rose had pretended to like her, and soon she had ingratiated herself with Hyrule's Royal family as a close friend to Veilla. Rose was 16 and Veilla was 18 years old at the time, and Veilla had just given birth to a son, whom would be named Marth. Rose held a desire for power, and she dreamt of being the one who was sitting on the throne, instead of Veilla. When she found out that Veilla was one of the chosen people, and held the Triforce of Power, her desire for power became even stronger. An evil plan began taking form in the young woman's head, a plan to get rid of the Queen. She learned that if one killed a person who possessed the power of the Goddesses, he or she would conquer the power as well – and then Rose realized what she must do.

Rose's opportunity came six years later. Veilla had been pregnant for almost nine long months and the people in Hyrule were waiting anxiously for the arrival of another Royal child. Rose had been planning everything in detail ever since she found out about her friend's pregnancy. Now, she was standing outside the chamber in which Veilla was giving birth. Impa Shakin, a Sheikah woman who was Veilla's private servant and friend, had opened the door slightly.

"She's just fine", she answered to Rose's question. "It's finished soon."

"She will be very tired after the childbirth", Rose said quickly. "I'll get something for her." Impa nodded and closed the door again. Rose went to the kitchen in the Castle and prepared a golden goblet with a hot drink for her friend. Making sure to get the right temperature, she placed the goblet on a table and smiled to herself. 

"I'm sure Veilla will be very tired", she mused. "So I'll be nice to her and prepare a drink that will help her getting some sleep." She pulled out a tiny bottle from her pocket. It was just a few inches long, and had a peculiar, white color. She uncorked the tiny bottle and put two drops of the pearly white liquid into the hot drink. The white color lingered on the surface for a second, then disappeared.

Veilla was lying in the bed, the covers wrapped tightly around her body. A baby girl was resting peacefully by her mother's chest. Though the Queen looked exhausted and cold sweat was covering her forehead, her face shone with happiness.

"Hi, Rose", she said. "I knew you would come. Look! Isn't she beautiful?"

Rose placed the golden goblet on the bedside table carefully, then kneeled down by the bed to take a look at the newborn. A pair of noticeable big eyes was watching her. The little girl had her mother's eye color; a deep, deep blue. Rose felt a pang of jealousy and guilt. She was jealous of Veilla, but that would come to an end soon. Rose tried to forget about the guilt and continued to look at the baby girl.

"She's just adorable, Veilla!" she exclaimed. "She's so pretty, a true Princess…"

Veilla smiled happily. "I love you", she whispered to the baby. "I love you."

To hide the tears that burned in her eyes, Rose turned her back at her friend and tried to wipe them away. When she didn't succeed, however, she lifted the goblet and turned to face Veilla again. 

"What is it, Rose?" Veilla asked, noticing the tears that trickled down the young woman's cheeks.

"I'm… I'm just so happy for you, that's all", Rose said, a little too quickly. "But you must be very tired."

"I am", Veilla said. "But I can't sleep now."

Rose smiled. "Veilla, I- I thought that you would want something to drink, so I brought you this. Be careful, it's warm."

"Thank you", Veilla said. "Would you like to hold her for a second?" 

Rose held the girl carefully in her arms, admiring the beautiful blue eyes that looked curiously at her. The baby girl's hair was pretty thick and blonde, and it felt so smooth when she touched it. The baby was just as beautiful as her mother… Rose fought to keep strong when she saw Veilla bring the goblet to her lips.

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Of course no one ever found out the truth. If she would have told someone, Rose Naltay wouldn't have seen the light of another day. But now – Naltay had become Harkinian. When she had taken the place as the new Queen several years after Veilla's death, Rose had deceived the people, her husband and her family. And now, she was the one who was going to have a child. 

But when she had got rid of both the Crown Prince and that annoying brat, Romani, another obstacle appeared, totally unforeseen. The obstacle was a teenage girl, the girl she had been holding carefully in her arms while she watched Veilla die. As the Queen's life force abandoned her, Rose had felt a new power in her own body. From that day, Rose possessed The Triforce of Power, and a couple of years later, as she learned how to handle her gift, the golden Triforce mark would appear on the back of her hand. 

Rose didn't know much about the Hylian religion or the holy Goddesses, but adding two and two together, she realized that two other people had the remaining Triforce parts… and if there was a way to conquer them, she would do it. But it wasn't an easy task, however, since the Queen had no clue of who those two people would be. Of course she didn't suspect that the true Princess of Hyrule was one of the chosen ones – at that time Rose believed, like everyone else, that Zelda Harkinian was dead. 

Rose had known about the fire in Kakariko before it happened. Making Romani and Marth going there with her, was her own way to get rid of them. She had never cared about them; the only things she cared about were her desire for power, and the life that was growing inside of her. But there was an obstacle…

A few days after the fire in Kakariko village, she had heard rumors that Princess Zelda had been seen there. She shrugged it all off, how could that be possible? But as ridiculous as the rumors were, they still awoke her fear. What if they were true? If they were, the Princess would most likely be coming to the Castle soon. And if the Queen wanted to save her own skin, she should get away before they could get her. 

When the King got an urgent message from Lake Hylia - the evil being in the Temple there had caused more problems, and someone had to defeat it, somehow - the Queen took the opportunity. Headed for Gerudo Valley, she left the Castle in disguise, hiding her face and the golden crown beneath a thick, brown hood. 

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Malon's POV

"This is what happens to those who don't listen to what I say!"

"Stop, Ingo! Don't abuse the horses!" I begged him with the tears burning behind my eyelids. My hands were tied up and I sat on the floor, watching as Ingo whipped the animals, but unable to do anything. Ingo stopped with what he was doing and glared at me scornfully. 

"Malon, you're no longer the daughter of the ranch master – or anything for that matter", he sniggered. "Talon's gone, you know? There's no one to help you! So, by order, behave." 

I couldn't understand how abruptly Ingo had changed. True, he had always complained when he worked here as the farmhand, but I never thought he would kick my father out of the ranch. Then, Ingo had forced me to stay. I hoped dad was all right… a tear trickled down my cheek, and though it annoyed me, I couldn't wipe it away.

Suddenly I heard neighing horses and anxious voices outside. One of the voices sounded very familiar…

"… they're not in the corral! Let's take a look in the stables…"

My heart began beating faster. I surely knew to whom that voice belonged. But then, a female voice answered.

"The door seems to be locked." 

"No problem. Get out of the way, Zelda."

_Zelda? Have I heard that name before?_ I thought, and suddenly I remembered a day several years ago, when Link and a girl came here. Could that be her? _She has the same name as the Princess had…_ I winced at the sound of a sword clashing against the wooden door. One, two, three, four… then the door fell down with a loud thud. Link entered, holding his sword in a firm grip. I noticed that a white fairy was fluttering next to him.

"Malon, are you okay?" he said, looking at me. I nodded. Then I watched him raise the sword, aiming… 

"No, it's not-" I tried to stop him, but I heard the sound of the ropes being cut off and yelped. "… necessary."

He grinned and helped me to stand up. I noticed that three other people had entered the stable as well. There were a young man, about my age, with the same hair color as me, a girl with long, blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in a beautiful gown, which looked terribly wrong in this environment. A middle-aged woman with pale blue eyes and grey hair was standing next to the girl. I realized that she had to be a Sheikah. But who were those people?

"It's Ingo", I managed to say. "He's abusing the horses." I'm not sure if Link heard me or not. He was pointing the sword at Ingo already. Ingo raised the whip, then lowered it slowly again. 

"Who are you?" he snorted scornfully. "Never seen you around before, kid."  
"I can recall meeting you before", Link said lowly. "But I don't think you remember me."

"What do you want here? This is my ranch."

"I think not. It belongs to Talon. You can't hijack the ranch and abuse the animals. Someone has to stop it."

"Who would that be? You?" Ingo snorted. "Don't think so."

"No, but I will", the blonde girl said, looking at Ingo, who had started to laugh. She sighed. "I don't think you know who I am. If you did, you certainly wouldn't laugh at me."

"Oh yeah?" Ingo was clutching his guts now, as though the girl had told him some kind of really funny joke. 

"Yes." The girl pulled a white glove off her right hand, and showed Ingo the back of it. I couldn't see what she did, but Ingo turned deadly pale and stopped laughing at once.

"It was _her_", Ingo stammered, dropping the whip. The iron lash hit the floor and where it lay, it did not look like it could do any harm. "_She_ did it. Not… me." Ingo was looking at the girl warily, afraid that she would hit him, kill him, even. 

"I'm innocent", he said. "I assure you I didn't do it… _she_ promised me…"

"What did she promise you?" the Sheikah asked. 

"Fortune", Ingo said quietly. "But only if I did as she said…"

"That explains a lot", the girl said to Link. He nodded. "Yes", he said. "Yet another reason for us to stop her. Before it's too late, I mean. Let's get out of here, we have things to do! And _you_, too." Link took a firm grip on Ingo's collar, and since he was so much taller, Ingo's feet hung about ten inches above the ground. I watched as Link dragged Ingo outside, and the others followed. I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard a chuckling beside me. It was the girl in the beautiful gown.

"Did you see his face?" she said with a giggle. "I'm sure he won't bother you anymore."

"I hope so." After a minute of silence, I spoke again. "Excuse me, but who are you?" I regretted asking her right after I said it, but the girl didn't seem offended. On the contrary, she smiled. 

"How rude of me. I am Princess Zelda. It's nice to meet you, Malon."

I couldn't even manage to say that the pleasure was wholly with me. 

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**A/N:** Sorry people, it took me forever to finish that chapter. I hate the last part, it's way too cheesy, but I just wanted to get it over with. If you had hoped that they would confront the Queen in this chapter, you have to wait a while! I'm working on it. *mutters to herself* How come it's more difficult writing on a story the longer it continues? But I promise you I _won't_ give up on this story. I want to know what it's like to finish a story, you know?

I'm sorry that it didn't happen so much in that chapter, but I do have my ideas for future chapters. Besides, I need some time to explain things, and it's not easy without boring the readers… Zelda's vision, for instance, will get more important later, maybe in the next chapter. That's it for now, I think. To get rid of the writer's block, I might need a few encouraging reviews. See you all in the next chapter!

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..**


	18. Starting over again

**A/N: **Nothing to say here, I don't own anything. **dan heron**, you're right, the second part indicates the middle of the story (if I can keep it going that far…) **Cassie**, thank you. Comments like that make me so happy! To the other people who reviewed chapter 17, you have my sincere gratitude.

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Chapter eighteen: **Starting over again**

Zelda's POV

They stared at me. _Literally_ stared at me, like their eyes would be popping out of their sockets any minute. Like I had been returning from the dead – which I suppose I had done, in a way. I held my head up high, smiling and sometimes even waving at people I recognized.

How far is it from the drawbridge to the hill where the Castle is situated? If I hadn't thought about it before, I surely did now. Returning home was almost exactly as I had imagined it to be, yet it was so different. Four years. It could have been a thousand.

I don't think I had realized how people in Hyrule Castle Town were living, or what they had to face every single day. During my time in the forest, and even in Kakariko, I had learned not to take anything for granted. But now I compared the Castle with its towers and pinnacles to the houses I saw on the streets. I'm not sure if 'houses' would make a good description; they were hovels rather than houses, small areas where the people had done their best to make the place their home, a place where they could escape and hide when their situation became too much for them to bear.

Sad, scared eyes of orphaned children were peering up at me, pleading gazes from the older people, people who had lived their whole life on the back alleys, stealing to make a living. When I looked at them, and tried to smile, to tell them I understood what they felt, I knew they didn't like me. And they didn't trust me. 

It was the former Queen's government that had made them this way. She had let them suffer! A rage beyond any descriptions poured up inside me, and I decided that as soon as I could, I would give these people a better existence. 

My mind was racing. _There it is. My home. Home – what a funny word. How can I call that place my home now, after all I've been through? How am I supposed to live behind high stone walls when I've got used to the smell of fresh air and run through the forest barefooted? How shall I go on with my life and get used to be the one I was? Goddesses, I can't do this._

The Castle looked darker and gloomier than I remembered it. The walls seemed higher, the windows were all dark, and the closed drawbridge above the freezing water in the moat could not be a good sign. It was so different from the place where I lived as a child. Before I left, there used to be white doves sitting in the windowsills, beautiful butterflies fluttering through the courtyard, the sound of happy voices and laughter in the gardens and thriving red roses in the flowerbeds. My parents used to stand by the open drawbridge, watching me frolic in the gardens…

… or that was the way I always had wanted my childhood to be. I never knew my mother, all I had was a name and nothing more. I thought of her a lot. And Marth, too. 

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

We rode up the hill, approaching the drawbridge. I was so close, so close… any minute, I would be facing the Queen of this country. And what did I feel? I glanced at Link. He was so courageous… he would unsheathe his sword and face all the horrors in the world if he had to. And if _I_ told him to, I was fairly sure about that. And all I felt was cowardice! A growing fear and a huge lump in my throat. Gee, what a Queen I would be.  

I guess some of the soldiers on top of the wall saw us, because the drawbridge started going downwards slowly, until it landed on the ground with a loud thud. I stared at the drawbridge, the water in the moat - dark and surely polluted – at the high stone walls, and then I nudged Ophelia to go on. 

As soon as we had entered the Castle, we all dismounted our horses and I heard approaching footsteps and a voice shouting something: "I beg your pardon, milady, but have you–" I turned to the person, raising my hand to silence him. It was a soldier, in his mid twenties, and he stopped dead in his tracks as he saw me. He sunk to his knees before me, unsheathing his sword and placing it next to him on the ground. I knew what that meant; it was the ancient sign of trust and respect. I could easily have seized his sword and killed him on the spot, if that had been my intention. Now, however, I had other things to do.

"Is it really you, Princess Zelda?" the soldier gasped. "Is it really…?"

"Yes, it is me", I said.

"I knew it was you when I saw you", he said in awe. Then he added, barely audible: "The true Queen."

I pretended I didn't hear what he said. "Tell me, where is Queen Rose?" 

"In her quarters, I think", the soldier answered. "But going to her would be a little foolhardy, Your Highness. I mean no offence, but-"

I didn't hear the end of his sentence, we were already on our way. 

||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Neither Link nor Roy had ever been in this part of the Castle before, since this part was the place where the Royal quarters were, and simple soldiers weren't allowed to be there. But they'd heard the officers in the army talking about the place, about the golden strips on the walls, the marble statues of demons, angels and heroes, the cold stone walls, the thick plush carpet that covered the floor, and the large oak doors that indicated the entrances to rooms people like them could only dream of. 

"Hmm, could it be this one?" Zelda mused and tried the doorknob of one of the oak doors. They were fortunate; the door wasn't locked. 

"Wow", Roy gasped. The room was magnificent; with a canopy bed, a huge fireplace, crimson, velvet curtains, and a balcony with a great overlook at the city. Yet there was something wrong with it, it wasn't like they had expected – it was empty. And it looked as though no one had been there in a couple of days. 

"She obviously left before we could get her", Impa sighed. "I wonder how she knew what was going on? Who told her?" 

"No idea", Zelda said, making her way through the room, leaning her elbow on the ledge and staring out the window, probably thinking of the next move. Link's sensitive ears suddenly caught an almost inaudible sound. Turning his head to the sound, he spotted a wooden cage, locked with a steady padlock. Inside was a tiny bird, with chocolate brown feathers and a creamy white chest. It looked at them with gloomy, black eyes. 

"A nightingale", Zelda whispered. Link hadn't noticed she was standing next to him, he was too busy watching the bird. "I used to stand on my balcony late at night when I was a child, listening to the nightingales singing", Zelda continued. Then she added sadly: "And the Queen has done the same thing with the people as with this bird." Link cocked one of his eyebrows, looking at her quizzically. "What do you mean?" 

"She's locked them up, in a way. They're not as free as they used to be, and it's all due to the Queen's government! Didn't you notice? We have to help them – somehow."

"You're talking in riddles, Zel", Link chuckled, watching the nightingale curiously. "You're right, I suppose. You're always right. But we have something else to do first."

"Speaking of riddles…" Zelda whispered. "I have something I want to talk to you about later."

"Poor dear", Impa exclaimed as she saw the bird, "we have to get it out of there." Using her Sheikah magic, Impa got the padlock to disappear in a puff of smoke with a snap of her fingers. Link opened the door to the cage, quickly clasping his hands together and seizing the struggling creature in his hands before it could fly away. He hold the squirming nightingale carefully, afraid he might hurt it. Roy opened the door to the balcony and Link stepped outside in the fresh air, raising his hands and releasing the bird. It took flight and seared through the air above their heads, and the four people watched it in awe. Then it dove downwards, just to dart up in the sky again, becoming smaller and smaller, until it disappeared into the setting sunlight.

"Now it will sing in the gardens again", Zelda said. Then she added, "Who could ever lock such a beautiful creature up in a cage?!" 

"Don't worry", Roy said. "It's free now. I've never seen a bird flying in such a high speed before… I bet it's flying over Lake Hylia already."

Link chuckled. "Well, we saved the bird. Now it's just Hyrule left."

 ||~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~||

Zelda was sitting in the room that had been her bedroom four years ago. The first thing she had noticed as she stepped inside was the size – it was larger than she remembered it. It was bigger than Link's whole tree house in Kokiri Forest, and about half the size of Impa's house in Kakariko, the huge closet included. The Princess actually felt a bit uncomfortable, the chamber was too roomy for her liking. 

She went to the bookcase and ran her finger over the books there. Every single one of them implied special memories to her. She could remember which books Impa had used to read to her before she would go to sleep. A book with a deep red cover suddenly caught her eye; it was the tale of Hyrule's creating, the tale of the three holy Goddesses themselves. She knew the very first line by heart: _"Once upon a time, before the life began, before the world had got its present form, three golden Goddesses came down from the Heavens to the chaos that would become the __land__ of __Hyrule__."_

Zelda sighed and ran her finger over the book's cover. Where did her childhood go? The years had passed by so quickly! And now she was almost at the age when she would become Queen and find a righteous husband. 

The young Princess felt her body growing cold and numb at the thought of a husband. Her father would never approve of her marrying someone less than a Prince! Suddenly Zelda realized that she hadn't seen her father in the Castle. Where could he possibly be? If the Queen had known about her arrival, the King would most likely know it too! _Strange, it's almost like I don't miss him at all. I should miss him! He's my dad! And what a daddy he's been,_ she thought sarcastically.

"Zelda? You wanted to talk to me", a soft voice said, and Link shut the door quietly behind him.

The Princess suddenly snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of his voice. "Yes. And I think it's important. Come over here", she said, opening the door to the balcony. The cool night air swept into the room, bringing the smell of flowers from the courtyard. There was a stone bench on the balcony, in which Zelda had used to carve lines and figures with any sharp object she could find when she was younger. Now the couple sat on it, Zelda biting her lower lip and staring at the lines in the stone surface stubbornly, and Link watching Zelda quizzically, thinking of what she might tell him. 

"I had a vision the other day", said the Princess eventually, lifting her gaze and meeting Link's anxious eyes. "Nayru appeared to me."

"You can't be serious, Zel! Nayru?" Link chuckled. 

"It was her, Link, I know it was her", she said. "And she claimed that I once knew my mother. But I didn't, I never met her, because she died when I was born!"

"Maybe she's still… alive?" Link said airily. "And you have met her sometime, without realizing it was her?"

Zelda snorted. "Excuse me?"

"What if the former Queen still is alive? Well, not alive, but sort of."

"That's ridiculous! You just have to use your common sense to realize it. Veilla can't be alive. If she indeed _had_ been, I highly doubt she wouldn't show herself to me in seventeen years." 

"I think you should use your common sense, Zel. How much do you know about spirits? Maybe they appear only if you tell them to…" Link said.

"You're so naïve, Link", Zelda said. "You always think of life from the bright side. But what you don't understand is that life isn't always bright. A person dies – the person remains dead."

"I wouldn't be so sure", Link said, his voice trailing off. "But since I obviously can't convince you, it's no sense in talking about this, so… why don't you tell me more about your vision?"

"Well… Nayru told me that I am her daughter, and that I had met her, though I don't remember it. And she said that the important matter isn't where we are, but where we are going."

Link nodded thoughtfully. "Do you think she meant our task to destroy the Queen?"

"Yes, I think so. Nayru told me that… that they would help us. Maybe they will. Perhaps they will give us the power and courage to do it." Link looked at the back of his left hand. The Triforce mark wasn't glowing, it just looked like an ordinary birthmark, but they both knew it wasn't. 

"I know they will, if we just have faith in them", Link said seriously. Then he smirked. "If the holy Goddess Nayru appears to you in a vision, then I believe anything can happen. I can even believe in spirits. And I really do believe that the Goddesses will help us. Good night, Zelda."

"Good night, Link", she said in a whisper, watching him leave with sad eyes. Then she stood up, walking over to the balcony rail, leaned forward and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. She let her gaze travel from the velvet sky to the city, dark and quiet. A bird was singing in a nearby tree beneath the balcony, and the Princess smiled slightly to herself. It was just a few hours to the break of day, and surprisingly, she was looking forward to what was going to happen.

_"It is something that grows over time…_

_a true friendship._

_A feeling in the heart that becomes_

_even stronger over time…_

_The passion of friendship will_

_soon blossom into a righteous power_

_and through it_

_you will know which way to go."_

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**A/N:** I actually finished that chapter! I've been writing on it for a while, and it turned out to be very short. But I've been working instead of going to school in a week now, and I was so tired afterwards I couldn't even turn on the computer. -_-;; The next chapter is the chapter when Queen Rose – hopefully – will be destroyed. I'm considering to let her suffer a lot! *evil grin* 

I'll go skiing and snowboarding next week, so you won't see another chapter in a while. I'll use my time off to figure out new events for this fic. Review, please! See y'all in the next chapter.

**..::**Hylian Heroine**::..**


	19. Return of the King

**A/N:** Thanks for the response for the last chapter! I wonder whether I should put this story in the drama section again… but I think I'll keep it _Action/Adventure_, for the future chapters. It's not really much romance either, but I don't like writing romance. I'm not good at it.****

_shnickers_, the poem is from _Ocarina of Time_, it's what Sheik tells Link right before he's going to enter the Fire Temple. I thought it fit.

I'm sorry for the long wait! But here's chapter 19!

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Chapter nineteen: **Return of the King**

Link's POV

I'm sleeping, and I'm most likely dreaming. Yet the wind brushing my hair feels so real, the grass is tickling my neck and my pointy ears, and when I open my eyes I realize I can't be dreaming. My sight is all blue, and it takes about a minute for me to realize it's the sky I see. It's clear blue, without clouds, and the sun's position indicates it's late in the afternoon.

Where am I, I wonder? I sit up, and realize I am in some kind of clearing, and the forest is deep and dark around me. The leaves of the trees are rustling softly in the breeze. I stand up, brushing the grass off my clothes, and though I know I _can't _be, I am in the Lost Woods. It's impossible, but I seem to have been teleported here in some way. Or maybe I'm dreaming. But if I am, the dream is uncannily real!

Then I hear a melody being played. It seems like I can't control my own body, because when I start walking towards the sound, it's not _me_ who's walking. My body seems to be possessed by some power I can only dream of. I think of Zelda. She had a vision… maybe it's what I'm currently having. Maybe I'll meet Nayru herself?

I'm walking faster, I'm almost running now. The song is heard all the time, but now it's louder. A sharp tree branch hits me over the cheek and when I bring my hand up to touch my face, I see the scratch is bleeding. But I don't have the time to care about that now! I have to find out who's playing the ocarina, because I'm almost certain it's an ocarina. It sounds somehow… familiar… I've heard that melody being played before… but where? Now I remember, Saria played it to me years ago. I liked calling it _Saria's song_…

Now I definitely know where I am. I'm standing before the maze in Sacred Forest Meadow, and the melody comes from the clearing where the ancient Temple is situated. Maybe it's Saria who's playing? Desperate to find out, I start running through the maze. It hasn't changed a bit since I was here several years ago, but now it's empty – the Deku Scrubs are all gone – and I run through it without hesitating. It's right, left, right… ah, there is the path that leads to the Temple! I can feel an intensifying pain in my stomach from the run. I'd like to catch my breath, but I can't, since I'm barely controlling my own body. I'm about to see who is playing the music.

There she is! It's not Saria… this woman is older. Or is she old? I cannot tell how old she is… she lifts her head, lowers the ocarina and looks at me. Her face – I just can't describe it. Her eyes are a glistening green color, and her hair has the same tint. Her mouth cracks into a happy smile. Has she been waiting for me?

She stands up. Her dress is light green, the same color as the grass around us, and it's made of a material I have never seen before. She's long and slim, and looks like a divinity. Now she's walking towards me. Or is she really walking? It seems like she's floating a few inches above the ground, like a fairy, or a ghost.

She's so beautiful, absolutely stunning. And she seems to know me, somehow. Her face is very close to mine now, and I can feel her hot breath. She leans forward. And then she's gone. I wake up.

* * *

"Good morning, Princess", Impa said to the yawning Zelda, noticing how puffy her eyes were. The Princess looked as though she'd barely slept at all. She plopped down by the wooden table in the kitchen, picked up a fork and tried to eat her breakfast.

"I wouldn't call it good", she muttered, looking at her food gloomily. "How did you think I'd be able to sleep when I knew what we would to today? I'll fall asleep on the battlefield."

"No, you won't", her nursemaid said and gave her a slice of bread. "What did you and Link talk about last night, anyway?"

"You didn't eavesdrop, did you?" said Zelda mischievously. The Sheikah woman shook her head. "You may be my attendant, but does that mean I cannot keep a secret from you?"

"Oh, I see…" Impa said, the look in her eyes revealing her thoughts. She sighed and passed Zelda the butter. "Why don't you tell me about our plans instead?" the Princess suggested. "If we have any, that is. I don't know anything."

"We do. I talked to Jonathan-"

"Jonathan? Ah, _that_ Jonathan", Zelda mused, remembering him being one of the officers of the Hylian army.

"Yes. What have I told you about speaking whilst others are talking? Jonathan told me that Link and Roy have sent soldiers to the main places in Hyrule - since we have no clue of Rose's whereabouts. There's a good chance that the people in Zora's Domain, Goron City, Kakariko village, Lake Hylia and Gerudo Valley know something. If they do, we'll most likely know it by noon."

"Hmm", Zelda mumbled. "She will defend herself… she won't let us destroy her without putting up a fight…"

"You're absolutely right."

"So… do we have an army big enough? Pass the cheese, please."

"Take a look out the window! That'll cheer you up a little", the Sheikah smirked.

Zelda forgot about her breakfast and did as Impa suggested. The grass of the gardens was not visible anymore; it was completely covered by shining armor. A few minutes passed by without Zelda realizing that it was indeed the Hylian army that stood there, waiting impatiently in the beautiful morning and the increasing heat. It wasn't even nine in the morning yet, but the warmth outside warned everyone what a hot day it would be. The sunlight cast shining, golden reflections in the steel of the armor, spears and swords. Each soldier had a deep blue shield, with three golden triangles and the symbol of the Hylian army at the bottom: a red eagle, spreading its wings to take off and fly away.

Two teenage boys were standing in front of the huge army; one clad in blue and white, the other in green. They were obviously discussing something with a man in the end of his thirties, whom Zelda recognized as Jonathan. He had not changed much since she last saw him, he was still as long, grave looking and impressive as he used to be. He was watching the two youths anxiously, one of his fingers twisting the short, blond beard on his chin. His hair, pulled back into a ponytail, was very resembling to Link's, and his eyes had almost the same color, Zelda knew. Link was obviously trying to explain something to the officer, and Roy was holding a piece of paper, probably a map, pointing at it eagerly.

"Exaggerating a little, are we?" Zelda interjected. "How many are they?"

Impa smiled. "Approximately one thousand and two hundred. So I have been told."

"And they are all willing to do this for… for me?"

"For you, Princess Zelda. For you – and for their country. For justice."

* * *

The Gerudo people had no leader. They were cruel, a people who killed the innocent, a pack of evil thieves from the western desert. They considered the childbearing women being the strongest gender – men were weak. According to the desert women, they were only good at one thing. No male could pass by the gates to the women's fortress, and it would remain so.

When the Gerudo people had heard of Queen Rose and her way to treat the Hylians and the other races of Hyrule, they had somewhat changed their minds and united with her. Maybe the Queen was exactly what they needed, a tool through which they could get power and respect. When Rose discovered that the desert women did not object her, she figured she could use them as well.

So when the righteous heir to the throne, Veilla's daughter, appeared out of nowhere, Rose escaped and headed for the fortress, a thing that came naturally. Her mother had, after all, been a Gerudo and when Rose approached the wooden bridge in the valley, she wondered if her mother would be there. She didn't remember her mother's name, less what she looked like, but maybe she would if she met her again.

The now former Queen hadn't been in the Desert in several years and now she had to admit, the sight was impressive. The valley was about one hundred yards deep, and the river streaming ruthlessly in its bottom seemed to be nothing more than a thin silver ribbon, and the sounds coming from the whirlpools were barely audible on the top of the cliff.

On the other side of the rickety wooden bridge was a steady iron gate, with a Gerudo warrior on each side. They were eyeing the cloaked figure and the horse suspiciously as they came closer. The rider stopped the horse and pulled the cloak back, revealing a golden crown and a beautiful face. The woman smiled at the female warriors before her. They bowed quickly, and the former Queen seemed pleased with this.

"It is impossible for me to stay in Hyrule Castle Town anymore", she said. "Therefore, I will stay here from now on, and I expect you to serve me as the subjects you are. Listen carefully. I have come here to tell the Gerudo that we will go to war very soon. And that war will not be senseless for you, my friends, for you will get the reward you yearn for…"

"Your words are certainly clever, Your Highness", one of the warriors said, "and we have no reason to think you're lying. We'll help you… on _our_ conditions."

* * *

"About time you woke up! I got up before sunrise", Link shouted, seeing Zelda entering the courtyard.

She smiled at him. "I'm not surprised. How's it going?"

"Well, what can I say? We think the troops we sent will be back in a few hours. Then we'll most likely know where Rose has escaped. And then – we'll go get her."

"And take the whole army with us?"

"I don't know that quite yet. I guess it depends on her whereabouts, that is, how many there are defending her."

"Maybe there aren't any to defend her", Zelda said. "As far as I'm concerned, no races in Hyrule would be willing to help her. Unless she managed to persuade them, somehow, but I doubt that."

"The only ones I can think of are the Gerudo", said Link thoughtfully. "Maybe she was headed for the fortress…"

"That's an option", Zelda agreed. "I don't-"

She was interrupted by the sound of loud voices and a horse neighing, and the uproar was coming from the drawbridge. Zelda glanced at Link, but he didn't seem to have any idea of what was going on. The Princess started to run towards the sounds, so he decided he should follow her. When they reached the area before the drawbridge, however, they stopped dead in their tracks, both of them realizing what they saw. If any of them had been expecting to see anything in particular, it surely wasn't this.

Zelda's eyes got wide with surprise, and partly, shock. The person mounted on the horse before her had been appearing in her thoughts, as well as her dreams, frequently during the years he'd been absent from her life. When she saw him, she realized she had missed him. A lot.

"Dad!" she blurted, making the King look down at her. As he did, the expression on his noble face changed abruptly. The look of rage disappeared, to be replaced by a look of clear surprise, and happiness. He dismounted, muttering a quick order that he wanted his horse to be taken to the stables, and then looked at the young woman before him.

"Goddesses", he murmured under his breath. "I must have gone insane. Is it merely my imagination, or are you really standing before me, Zelda?"

"I am", Zelda said. Then she did something she never expected herself to do. She threw herself into her father's arms, and he did something she never expected _him_ to do – he embraced her, hugging her back, mumbling a faint: "I can't believe it. You have to convince me it's really you."

She smiled at her father. "It _is_ me, Dad." The King kissed his daughter's forehead. "Do I sound too formal if I said I missed you terribly? I thought you were-"

Zelda smiled. "I know, I know. I- I actually missed you, too."

"I never thought I would hear that from you", said the old King sadly, "considering what a parent I've been. I came to a realization when you left me, Zelda. And I want to tell you this before you leave me again. I love you, and I always have."

Zelda took her father's hand, squeezing it tightly. She met his gaze, and that look told him more than a hundred words ever could.

"Who is that?" asked the King, looking at Link, who had kept himself at a distance the whole time. He knew Zelda and her father would have a lot to say to each other, and they didn't want him around. When the monarch looked at him, however, he thought it was okay to introduce himself. He had never seen the King before, for the ruler never came down to the soldiers' quarters, and Link hadn't spent many days in the Castle before he left to go to Kakariko.

"My name is Link, Your Majesty", Link said, hoping it was a response in the King's liking. The monarch raised his eyebrows, studying the youth's face, eventually ending up staring at his boots.

"An unusual name indeed", the King said, looking the young man straight in the eye. "But I think I recognize it… Impa spoke to me a while ago, and I think she mentioned you. I suppose you know Impa?"

"That's right, Your Majesty."

"Link is my… friend", Zelda told her father, receiving a sour look from Link. "We met years ago. I'll tell you everything about it later."

"Excuse me, Your Highness", Link said. "Do you, by chance, know where Queen Rose is?"

King Harkinian frowned, giving Link a strange look. "I suppose my wife is here, at least she was when I left the other day. She told me that there had been trouble by Lake Hylia, but when my men and I got there, it was as peaceful as it use to be. I wonder where she got the idea… why, may I ask, are you interested in knowing where my wife is?"

"I apologize, Your Highness, but she isn't at the Castle."

"We think she fooled you to go to Lake Hylia, so she easily could get away", Zelda told the King. "It's a really long story, but Link and I can explain it all to you, if you like." The King nodded shortly, apparently upset by his wife's obvious betrayal. "Tell me everything you know."

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**A/N: **I know I promised that this would be the chapter when Rose would be destroyed. But there are a lot of things that I want to develop further, so I'll let the chapter with the confrontation come when I feel it's time. I think it's a good idea to write a few more – I can't tell exactly how many – chapters before I end this story. I have also noticed that a few characters have been 'disappearing', like Tatl and Navi (geez, why am I always forgetting about them?), so I'll get them back into the story, somehow.

I'll get the next chapter up faster than this one, I promise. That's a promise I'll try to keep.

-HH


	20. The first shot

**A/N: **Wow. I didn't know it could actually take that long to write a chapter… I have totally lost my inspiration and I find it hard to continue with this story. Besides, I've got a lot of projects and homework that need to be done. I hope it will get better.

_Why does Link have a sour look on his face when Zelda says he's her friend to her father? Is he slightly annoyed about her calling him a friend instead of a boyfriend? _You got that right. They're more than friends in his eyes, but she thought it would be a bad idea telling the King about that.

_When Zelda 'meets' her mom, if she does, can she meet Marth too? _That's something I'd rather not tell, at least not yet. I won't spoil anything, so read on to find out.

_I always thought of Impa of more like a bodyguard or a warden instead of a nursemaid... _I know it wasn't a question, but I decided to explain it anyway. I think of Impa as both, the woman who took care of Zelda when she was a baby, and the Princess' protector. I'm often referring to Impa as a 'nursemaid', though…

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Chapter twenty: **The first shot**

"Sheik. It's been a while since I saw you."

The sound of Link's voice startled the Sheikah youth. He had been standing on the balcony, gazing at the starry sky, pondering something. He quickly turned around, seeing Link standing there, smiling. He had swung the door open without making a sound.

"What are you doing?" Link asked.

"Nothing. Thinking."

"Oh." Link leaned an elbow against the stone rail, glancing at Sheik for a moment, then turning his gaze to the darkish garden beneath them. He could perceive the shadows of trees and bushes in the darkness, and suddenly he noticed something. "No birds are singing tonight… not even a nightingale", he remarked. Sheik nodded thoughtfully.

"You're right. I didn't realize how quiet it is. Strange…"

Link nodded. "Even stranger is the way you're hiding something from me."

"You noticed", stated Sheik with a sigh. "All right, you got me. We're headed for Gerudo Valley first thing in the morning and—"

"I knew it!" Link exclaimed. "She's hiding in the Fortress, isn't she? She's hiding there, thinking the Gerudos will help her."

"Yes, they think so. There's only one way to find out. So I want you to meet me at sunrise, in the courtyard."

"Sheik… you haven't told me _everything_. There's still something you're avoiding to tell me."

"No. There's nothing." Sheik's voice was suddenly irritated, and he backed away slightly. Link did, as well.

"All right, whatever you say. See you in the morning, then."

* * *

Rose could not sleep. She was unable to relax and close her eyes. She felt like a chased animal, knowing the predator would get it, sooner or later. And Rose preferred the latter – she would stay out of their reach for as long as possible. There was a vast desert to the west, with uncountable miles of just sand, fierce sandstorms that would make a human blind, and with grains of sand piercing through one's skin with the force of sharp needles.

If they came, she would escape through the desert, to a land she knew must be on the other side. Or if she just could make it to the Spirit Temple… she would never let them get her. At least not yet. But they surely wouldn't, they had to break through the only gate blocking the way to the Fortress, and it was very well protected. And the Gerudos would be helping their Queen out, wouldn't they?

She sighed, following a crack in the ceiling with her restless gaze, thinking about the creature that had appeared in her dreams last night. She called it a creature, because it wasn't human. It had the features of a human, but its eyes were coals of fire, flames were consuming the slender body although leaving no wounds, and the being had spoken to her. The creature had been speaking to her with a voice sounding like the roar of a thunderstorm. She could catch no words, it was just an endless stream of words in a language she couldn't recognize. She understood, however, that the being wasn't pleased.

The force in its voice and the crackling flames licking the being's skin startled Rose. That dream could not be a good omen. If only she could understand what it meant, what it wanted to tell her…

* * *

Sheik's POV

The sun, not yet that high above the horizon, was shining over Hyrule field, over the silhouette of Lon Lon Ranch, which we had passed by a while ago, over the dust path taking us closer to our destination, even over Gerudo Valley. It was a beautiful day, the sky cloudless, the breeze mild and warm. The sounds coming from Zora river were barely heard, instead I heard the treading of horse hooves and excited voices.

Ophelia acted strange today, I noticed. Maybe she wasn't used to be around so many people. She was nervous and not even the presence of Epona could soothe her. Perhaps Tatl circling her head was disturbing her. I just hoped it wouldn't cause any problems if it came to a battle. I held the reins tightly with my left hand and patted her neck with my right to calm her down. I wasn't surprised that Spot was nervous, though, because I was, too. Who wouldn't have been?

I was riding in the middle of the horde. About three hundred soldiers, most of them on foot, were behind me, another two hundred in front of me, most of them riding. Bringing seven hundred more would have been unneeded. Link was on my left side, and Navi was settled on his shoulder. Jonathan, the officer, rode on my right. When I had seen him, I noticed how much he looked like Link, in fact, they could have been brothers. Their hair color was the same, I didn't know whom had the bluest eyes, and they even acted the same way. But I knew better…

"Okay, so what do we do when we arrive?" I heard Link ask.

"We'll see when we get there", Jonathan answered. "The Gerudos will probably suspect that we're coming, so just be prepared. That's the best you can do. We don't know what they'll do."

We were riding between two high rocks now, and I knew what would come next. Following the path south would take you to Lake Hylia, but turning abruptly to the left took us to the western desert. I didn't like the desert at all; it was dry and dead, with no animals, no birds singing in the sky and no plants or trees anywhere. A wooden sign indicated we were on the right way. Just one more turn, and we would see the valley. I could already hear the surge coming from the waterfall. That, if possible, made me yet more nervous than I already was. I glanced at Link. He looked as calm as ever. What had I been expecting?

The rushing of water became louder with each step Ophelia took. Some soldiers unsheathed their swords, some held their bows ready, some attached heavy shields to their forearms. Those who were marching at the head of the army turned the last corner now, and in a matter of minutes, we did. If I had been expecting to see the whole Gerudo people standing there, ready to charge, with Queen Rose in front, I wouldn't have been the least surprised. Now, I was. The valley was deserted. The roaring coming from the waterfall was echoing between the vertical, reddish cliffs. The wooden bridge high above the river was deserted as well. Not a sign of life anywhere…

Jonathan rode quickly to the front rank to deliberate upon what would be done next. Then an unbearable wait followed, before we finally could hear the welcome, yet feared call: "We are continuing!" We were moving again. The wooden bridge looked too frail to support the weight of hundreds of men and horses, and I closed my eyes as we passed over, not daring to look down. When I opened them again, we had stopped in front of a high, wooden gate, strengthened with strips of iron attached across the sturdy blocks of wood.

"Sheik", said Link quietly, "the dagger."__

I nodded shortly and unsheathed the dagger from my belt. It was eleven inches long and had a blade made of silver, a weapon Impa had given me that morning. I clutched my fingers around its haft tightly, preparing myself mentally. I could hear Link yanking his sword from its sheathe and strapping his Hylian Shield to his right forearm.

The silence that followed was almost more than I could stand. Just sitting there, not doing anything, waiting for what would undoubtedly come, was too much for me. Then I heard something. A zipping sound, an arrow darting through the air, settling itself deeply into the flesh of the man right in front of me. He fell without a sound, inches away from Ophelia and me. Then the gate slowly opened.

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I'm glad I finally managed to finish chapter 20. Though it was short, it was hellishly hard to write. Please review!

-HH


	21. A mission in the night

Thanks for the positive response, I'm glad you all seem to like my work! Thanks to _Jewel of the wolves_, _Guruguru214_, _Lost Soul 01_, _AnimeAngel90_, _ayachan21_, _Mily_, _Dark Fantasy Jedi_, _Split Infinitive_, _Anime-Master7_, _Ani1_, _Rachel13_, _Hououza_, _Greki_, _foofbunny_ and _Cmdr. Defiance Nighthawk_ for reviewing!

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Chapter twenty-one: **A mission in the night **

Link's POV

The gate was slowly opening, inch per inch, squeaking loudly, as if it was protesting. The sight of what was on the other side made my heart leap up in my throat.

They could have been about three hundred, or more – I couldn't really tell. The sun was now approaching its zenith, and the sunlight was gleaming in hundreds of scimitars, spears and other awful weapons, some of which I didn't know the name. Unlike the Hylian army, the Gerudos were not wearing any kind of armor, which gave us a fair advantage. The Gerudo tribe was known as a tribe of warriors, skilled, strong and fearless…

Trying to remain calm, I observed the enemy. No one was moving. Everything was silent, and we waited. We waited, but eventually, someone had to make the first move. I heard a sudden sound, and saw the streak of another arrow being shot from somewhere above. A man three ranks behind me gave a scream, however cut short by the arrow that hit his throat. That was the signal we had been waiting for. Impa, riding in the front, raised her weapon, a dagger of the same kind as Sheik's, and on cue, we all began to move forward, slowly at first, then faster.

"I guess it begins now", I heard Navi's voice in my ear.

"I guess."

"Good luck, Link."

"Thank you, Navi…" I said, and I couldn't help my voice was shaky.

If you have never been to war, you can impossibly understand what it's like. Everything you've read about heroes in war and how brave they acted – it's just a lie. When you're in the middle of a fierce battle, you can't think. Your mind stops working and you don't know what to do. Everything around you is a blur, a chaos of men (and in this case, women) and horses. You think the noise around you will make you deaf. You think you will die any minute. But you are not scared, because you can't be.

I caught a brief glimpse of Roy on my left side. The boy didn't look scared at all – I watched as he raised his sword and made a horizontal slash against a Gerudo, but I couldn't see what happened next, since Epona neighed wildly and reared on her hind legs, and I nearly lost my grip on the reins. Trying not to lose my balance, I saw that Epona was bleeding badly, having received a deep cut across her flank. Her hooves hit a Gerudo, and I finished it all with my sword.

I would never get used to killing people. The red blade of my sword was scaring me. That was someone else's blood, someone else had died because of me… but thinking that way in the middle of a violent battle was not a very good idea. So I continued, goading Epona through the chaos, slashing, cutting, slicing and thrusting my way through. I don't know how I managed not to get hurt. It was impossible to look in all directions at the same time, and if I was attacked from behind, I didn't know if anyone would lunge at me from the front. The sword training had not been in vain, though, I could easily block sword attacks aimed at me.

The battle was taking place in a small passage between two steep cliffs outside the fortress. But our army slowly forced the Gerudos backwards, until we were facing the ancient fortress, built beneath an overhanging rock. I noticed that archers were standing on the rooftops of the houses, maybe the first arrow had been shot from there. The archers made the Hylian soldiers nervous and we all had to concentrate not only on the battle, but also on arrows being released from above. I guess the smell and the noise made Epona nervous as well, and the fact made it harder for me to keep my control on the horseback. Epona made a sudden turn, and although I tugged at the reins with all my might, I could not stop her. Neither could I stop what was about to happen.

The first thing I felt was something touching my left side briefly. The second thing was a white-hot pain, erupting from my stomach and spreading all through my body. I nearly lost both my firm grasp of the reins, and my sword. I looked down. It was an arrow, protruding from my left side, just below my last rib. I had never felt a pain like that. I didn't know what to do. The pain made my body go numb, I couldn't really think anymore. My arms and legs felt limb and cold, and I felt the sword slip from my grip, but I didn't hear the metallic sound it made when it hit the ground. The noise around me became more distant, like the battle had been going on some hundred yards away and not all around me.

I slowly slid off Epona, but my firm grasp on the reins remained. Perhaps my mind told me not to lose the connection with my horse. She dragged me along a few yards, but then I couldn't hold on anymore, and I let go. My vision was somewhat hazed when I watched Epona disappear. I closed my eyes. It had not been more than some minutes, before I felt a pair of strong arms carefully wrap themselves around me and lift me.

* * *

When dusk arrived that day, the battle had ceased. Both parts needed to rest, and take care of the wounded. The Hylian army had retired to the valley, where a temporary camp had been set up, on each side of the river.

Sheik was helping Impa to take care of some of the wounded. There were five makeshift stretchers in their tent, all of them made of wood and pieces of cloth tied together. Sheik wiped the sweat off his forehead and went to check on Link again. The young man was still unmoving, his face looking deadly pale in the flickering light from the small campfire. His tunic was gone, and instead a large, white bandage was wrapped tightly around his torso.

The Sheikah youth sat down slowly by the stretcher, taking Link's hand. It felt warm, and Link was breathing steadily. He seemed to just be asleep peacefully, but Sheik knew that was not the case. He knew Impa too well, he saw the fear in her eyes when she looked at Link and Sheik wondered why she wasn't telling him anything.

"Sheik? I need to speak with you for a moment." Impa seemed to be under stress, her face was covered in sweat and her eyes looked dark and glossy. She glanced at Link before she started to speak.

"We need something", she said slowly, as if making sure that Sheik was understanding her. "A fairy. And not just any fairy – a healing one."

Sheik guessed that Impa would ask him to get one, but it was in the middle of the night, he had no idea where to look for a fairy and he didn't want to leave Link… But he told Impa nothing of that. "I see", he simply said.

"I cannot leave the camp now, Sheik, and you're the only one I can entrust with such a mission. I suggest you to look for a fairy fountain in the Lost Woods—"

"The _Lost Woods_? I'm not sure if I can… it's a long way."

"There are instruments made for such purposes, Sheik", Impa said with a tiny smile. Sheik thought about the golden harp Impa had given him, but she handed him an instrument much smaller than a harp; t was blue, and had the Triforce mark engraved in the surface.

"The Ocarina of Time", Sheik breathed. "I almost forgot about it… I haven't seen it since I was a child."

"It has been hidden", Impa explained. "It has been kept away from the Queen. Take it with you tonight, Sheik. Leave now, and don't be gone too long. And take this", she added, handing him a glass bottle. "Catch the fairy in it – and be careful."

The night was cold, and the sky was dark and covered with clouds. Not a single star could be seen. The other tents in the camp were barely discernible, but the roaring waterfall told Sheik in which direction the river was. He was glad he still knew the magical songs Impa had taught him by heart. He began playing the _Menuet of Forest_, but was interrupted by a voice in his ear.

"I'm going with you!"

Sheik smiled. "Thank you, Tatl, I'd rather not be alone tonight."

The little fairy settled herself down on his shoulder, and so he played the song again, and soon the camp, the sound of the waterfall and the dark night were all gone.

Neither Sheik nor Tatl had been in the forest in years, but the clearing where the ancient Temple was situated still seemed very familiar. The door to the Forest Temple looked like a single, black eye, peering out over the Sacred Forest Meadow.

"Do you know where to find the fairy fountain?" Sheik asked Tatl.

Her tiny wings fluttered up and down in excitement, and she began glowing a bright green. "Yes, I know, come on!"

Sheik smiled and followed the fairy. He felt grateful that she was shining so brightly – her glow made it easy for him to see where he was going. The sky was still dark, and no stars could be seen. The forest was so quiet, not a sound was heard, and Sheik was glad he was accompanied by Tatl.

"It's right here", Tatl said, when they were eventually standing in front of a hole in the ground, so deep Sheik couldn't see its bottom. "Down there!"

"Are you really sure we should go down there?" asked Sheik nervously. "I don't think—"

"I am sure, Sheik", said Tatl impatiently. Then she flew down, her glow clearly visible for a moment, and then she disappeared, leaving Sheik standing in total darkness. He had no choice, he had to follow her. He took a hesitant step forward, and felt no firm ground under his feet. He fell in darkness for a moment, but soon found himself laying on some kind of platform. The cave was surprisingly light, but Sheik soon saw from where the white, glaring light was coming. Uncountable fairies were suspended in mid-air above what looked like a small, shallow pond. It was such a beautiful sight, and Sheik just stood there for a moment, watching the fairy fountain with his mouth hanging open. Then Tatl reminded him of what he had to do.

"You have to catch one of them", she said. "You must do it fast; they're quick!"

Sheik nodded, uncorking the bottle Impa had given him. He took a step forward and tried to catch one of the healing fairies, but missed terribly. Three attempts later, he finally managed to catch one and quickly corked the bottle up before the fairy could fly away. It tried desperately to get out, its tiny body bouncing against the glass of the bottle, the wings fluttering wildly.

"Now I feel bad", Sheik sighed, watching the healing fairy closely.

"It's worth it if this one can save Link's life, isn't it?" Tatl said.

"Yes, you're right. Come on, let's go."

* * *

The camp was dark and quiet by the time Sheik and Tatl got back, and almost everybody seemed to be asleep. But in the tent furthest from the river, the campfire was still lit and the tentflaps were untied.

Tatl flew ahead to tell Impa that they were back. Sheik rushed his steps, since he didn't want to be left behind. When he was almost there, however, something made him stop and stare at something in the direction of the fortress. It was obscure, but darker than the night itself, and it was moving. Sheik stood still for about a minute before he eventually realized what was going on. That made him speed up a little, running as fast as he could to the tent.

"Impa?" The Sheikah woman, sitting by the campfire, shot him a glare, telling him to shut up, or he might disturb the wounded, but Sheik couldn't have cared less about it right then.

"Impa", he said again, "we are—"

"Lower your voice, Sheik!" Impa hissed. "What is it?"

"—under attack."

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There's chapter 21! I hope you liked it, if you did, I'll write the next chapter as well. School's almost out, and I'll have a lot of time to write! Please review!

-HH


	22. Thieves' hideout

I tried getting this chapter done for a couple of weeks, but I still couldn't type it out. I've had a huge lack of inspiration, so don't expect this chapter to be the greatest! Thanks to _Hououza_, _Greki_, _Jewel of the Wolves_, _AnimeAngel90_, _Lost Soul 01_, _AnimeMaster-7_, _ayachan21_, _Selah Ex Amino_ (five reviews! Thank you!), _dan heron_, _Mily_, _Rhia_ and _princess of destiny _for reviewing.

_What was Rose's motives for employing Ingo as a lackey? _Well… in OoT, Ganondorf sort of forced Ingo to become his lackey, and I just put Rose in Ganondorf's place. But I'm not quite sure about her motives… Ingo agreed to become Rose's lackey because she promised him a fortune, and he accepted, because he'd always been working for Talon and he liked the thought of becoming the master of Lon Lon Ranch. You know how Rose wanted to conquer Hyrule? Making Ingo hijack the ranch was just a step in that direction.

_ayachan21:_ I know, there has been a lack of romance lately, but if I write a sequel, I'll try to change that. I'll post another Zelda fic after this one, and it will contain more romance. I'm sorry, I just don't think I'm good at writing romance.

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Chapter twenty-two: **Thieves' hideout**

"What do you mean?" Impa stared at Sheik as the meaning of his words slowly began to sink in.

"We're under attack", said Sheik again. "We need to wake everybody up now – or the Gerudos will murder them in their sleep."

Impa arose and looked as she tried to think desperately. She glanced at the glass bottle in Sheik's hand and nodded quickly.

"You found a healing fairy", she stated. "Nice job, Sheik. Use it now, and hurry."

She darted out of the tent, and Sheik knew she was going to wake as many as possible up. They never expected a nocturnal attack! Sheik walked swiftly to Link's side, watching him in his sleep. He gently undid the bandages, and shuddered at the sight of the horrible injury. Link stirred, but did not wake up.

"Just open the bottle, Sheik, and release the fairy", Tatl said, settling herself down on his shoulder, her usual habit. Sheik nodded, pulled the cork out, and watched as the healing fairy began glowing a bright red. It circled Link's head, then found his injury and floated above it for a moment, then seemed to become fused together with Link's skin. The injury and the skin around it began glowing red as well, as the skin slowly closed around the gash, eventually leaving nothing but smooth, new skin.

"Sheik, what are you d—" Link mumbled, then he felt the tickling sensation in his stomach, and saw the red fairy disappear. "A red fairy?"

"A healing one", said Sheik seriously. "I was worried about you, Link."

Link smiled wryly. "Thank you…" he mumbled, giving Sheik a soft embrace. Sheik smiled as well, and couldn't help but hug him back, although he knew they hadn't much time.

"There's no need to thank me. I did it because I care about you, Link. I'm so glad to see you're better…" Sheik's voice trailed off, but then he seemed to remember something important. "Get up and get dressed as fast as you can. We're under attack."

"And now you tell me", Link muttered as he began looking for his clothes and weaponry. He quickly pulled a torn, white shirt over his head, followed by his green tunic. He put his boots on, placed the hat on his head, and grabbed his shield and sword. He silently followed Sheik out of the tent, and pushing one of the tentflaps aside, he saw that the whole camp was awake. People were running, talking rapidly, saddling horses or getting their weapons ready.

"Let's get the horses", said Sheik lowly. "We won't stand a chance on foot."

They hurried towards a corral, where the horses had spent the night. Epona and Ophelia were standing near the fence, and they both seemed apprehensive, though they calmed down and greeted Sheik and Link by whinnying lowly, apparently glad to see them.

"Did you miss me, Epona?" said Link softly, patting her muzzle and neck. Remembering there was no time to waste, he quickly strapped the sheathe, sword and shield to his back, then mounted Epona. Sheik had done the same.

A sudden, short scream was heard. Sheik and Link looked in the direction of the camp – one of the tents was burning, the flames licking the canvas and lighting the entire area up, making the Gerudos plain for everyone to see.

"They're invading the camp", Sheik whispered. Link could barely hear his words. "I hope Impa succeeded into waking everyone up. Just imagine waking up and finding your tent is burning and you're trapped inside."

Link nodded thoughtfully. "What are you thinking, Sheik? What do you intend to do?"

"I am positive that the Queen is not here. She probably considers it too risky. No, I think she's still dwelling inside that fortress, and almost all Gerudos are here, it seems. Look at them, they seem to be even more than yesterday! Link, Queen Rose is most likely alone up there. So let's go."

Sheik made Ophelia jump the fence of the corral, which she easily did, and Link and Epona followed them. Making sure to ride as far from the now quite noisy camp as possible, they followed the trail leading to the fortress. Both of them were grateful it was so dark – neither of them wished to see the signs from the battle the day before. Epona and Ophelia walked swiftly, but they would stop abruptly every now and then, almost making their riders fall off the horseback in surprise. Neither Link nor Sheik were eager to find out what was making the horses stop.

The fortress seemed almost abandoned. All the windows and doorways were dark, but a pair of torches were placed by three of the doors. Link and Sheik silently waited, searching the fortress with their gazes for movements.

"There", Link whispered, pointing to a door guarded by two Gerudo guards. "It's the only guarded door. I bet it's the right one."

Sheik nodded.

* * *

The young woman yawned. She was bored. Having the most important duty was not fun, not fun at all.

She adjusted her garments, and held the spear tighter in her left hand. The night was dark, and no stars could be seen. Normally, one could see the silhouette of the Spirit Temple during nighttime, if the night was light enough. Now, the wooden gate blocking the way to the Haunted Wasteland was barely visible.

This night was special in more than just one way. The Gerudos had prepared a nocturnal attack at the camp down by the river as soon as the Hylians had retreated. It was unfair, plain cowardice, but the Hylians mustn't come near the fortress. The Gerudos had sworn to protect their Queen and they would – as long as they wanted to. They were great warriors, but no one had ever called them honest.

The young guard sighed, and glanced at the other woman. She was standing firm and still, heedful of any sounds or sudden movements. The younger woman could never hope to be like her, she was too impatient… she could not stand without moving for more than a minute. Sometimes she wondered what she was doing among a people who thought that patience was one of the most important abilities.

Unfortunately, she had no time to consider this further. The hilt of a sword that hit her in the back of her head made her pass out right away.

* * *

"Easy, too easy", Link mumbled as he watched the young woman fall. Sheik had just given the second guard a blow in her right temple with the shaft of his knife, and he muttered in agreement while watching her sinking to the ground slowly.

"You're right, but we don't have the time to fight anyone right now."

The two got past the two unconscious guards and entered the thieves' hideout. It was so dark inside that both of them had to wait a while before moving, until their eyes got used to the darkness. They did not want to walk into something. And maybe there were more guards around…

They turned a corner, and were facing a long, narrow corridor, with torches along the stone walls. The corridor had two doorways, and both Link and Sheik stopped, looking in each direction, then at each other, and their expressions were clearly saying: "Which way?" Neither of them had ever been here before, and they didn't want to get lost.

"We should stay together", Link said.

Sheik nodded. "Yes. I say we should turn left."

"Hmm… I suggest we continue onward."

The Sheikah gave a slight shrug. "It really doesn't matter, I suppose…"

Link froze, then put his index finger to his lips, and Sheik fell silent. He realized what Link was referring to. Voices. Loud voices were talking down the hallway. Sheik could hear two, maybe three voices speaking quite loudly to each other. It was obvious that the two intruders were listening to a quarrel.

When the voices, or the ones they belonged to, rather, didn't seem to be approaching, Link and Sheik snuck down the corridor, stopping by a corner. Peering around it, they could see three people, all women. Two of them were Gerudos. The other one, who seemed to be scolding the others, had her back turned to Link and Sheik.

It was obvious who she was. They had, after all, seen her briefly before…

It was the Queen herself, the one the two intruders had been anxious to meet, but now they regretted even sneaking into this fortress. They had to destroy her, once and for all, which was more difficult than it seemed. They had no choice but revealing themselves to perform an attack.

"Link! What are you doing?" Sheik silently cried as Link stepped further, and stood before the three people in the room.

"And who might you be?" The Queen's voice sounded less angry now; it was cool and calm, almost kind. She had turned around when she heard Link approach.

"I-I…" Link couldn't find the words. The Queen happened to be one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. She was stunning, breathtaking. He had not looked at her closely last time, but now her eyes were locked to his, and he couldn't turn his gaze away. The Queen smiled sweetly, aware of the effect she had upon him.

"What do you seek here?" the Queen asked, shifting her weight to her other leg, her hand resting on her hip. She put a strand of her light brown hair behind her right ear.

As Link didn't seem quite aware of what was going on around him, Sheik also revealed himself to the Queen, and answered her question. "We were looking for you", he said simply.

"Ah, that's great", said the Queen swiftly. "And now that you've found me, what do you intend to do?"

Sheik tried to come up with a response good enough while eyeing the woman before him warily. She wore garments similar to those Impa used to wear. Her body, thin and frail, looked completely out of place in armor, but Sheik did not doubt that Rose knew how to use the long, broad sword at her side. He had to prevent her from using it somehow…

"We… we have come at orders from the King of Hyrule", said Sheik. "We're at His Highness' orders to capture you."

A sudden look of fear struck the Queen's features, but she seemed to pull herself together quickly. "This must be some kind of mistake. My husband is the King of Hyrule, and I'm the Queen of it. The Queen does not need to take orders from her own husband, because she has as much power as he has. Perhaps you just misunderstood it all?"

"I know very well that I haven't misunderstood anything", Link said. "And so do you. Isn't that right, Rose?"

"That's _Your Majesty_ for you, boy!" the Queen snarled, not even trying to conceal her anger.

"As you wish, Your Majesty", said Link. Then he lowered his voice, speaking in a very hostile manner. "Mind my words. In a few hours, you'll be either thrown in jail, waiting for your own execution, or perhaps we've already solved that little problem for you."

These words made the Queen really uneasy. She looked from Sheik to Link, then back again, until she yelled at the two Gerudos behind her: "And just what are you waiting for? Finish them for me!"

"Yes, Your Majesty", the two warriors said in unison, then lunged at the two boys. They were stopped by a sword and a dagger, and they both sank to the floor slowly. Glancing at the stone floor briefly – which was now quickly being stained in red – Sheik looked at the Queen, but she was nowhere to be seen.

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I know. You've been waiting for me to update and I write a short, crappy chapter like this. I'm already writing on the next one, though, which is definitely going to be the last. I'm sorry it took me so long to get this done, and I promise you won't have to wait a month for the next chapter. Please review!

-HH


	23. Red, green, blue

Thank you to all the people who reviewed! Some special thanks to _Selah Ex Amino_, who made me write half the chapter in Sheik's POV, and the other half in Link's. I hope you like it.

I'd also like to thank _L-Malon-Z_ for her help and wonderful ideas! Without her, I wouldn't have been able to get this chapter done so soon.

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Chapter twenty-three: **Red, green, blue**

Sheik's POV

"She's sly, I must admit."

Link complied, sliding his sword back into the sheathe he carried on his back. I knew he didn't like the thought of not wiping it off first, but there was no time for that now.

"Godesses", I muttered. "This won't be easy. This fortress has at least a hundred different rooms and hallways, Rose probably knows this place – better than we do, anyway, and she already has a huge lead! We should get going…"

Link started running toward a door on the opposite side of the room, and I followed. The fortress seemed empty. Even after we had run through at least ten hallways and just as many rooms, all identical, there were still no signs of life. We both stopped, needing to get some rest. I leaned back onto the stone wall behind me, breathing hard. At that moment, I would have done anything to get those Sheikah clothes off. Surely, they were really useful and all, but they just weren't the kind of garments you should be wearing in a desert. They were too warm, and I had begun considering to rip them off, some of them, at least, but Link said something before I had the time to do it. And we should both be lucky that at least one of us had some sense.

"Sheik", he said, "maybe she's not even here. Perhaps this is just what she wants us to do. She wants us to run around here searching for her until she's had the time to escape. And when we finally realize that she's not here, she will be long gone, probably laughing as she thinks of what big fools we are."

"You're right", I admitted. "Let's say she's not hiding anywhere in here. Then what other options does she have? She can't take the way through the valley. That means there is only one way left."

Link nodded. "The gate to the desert… You don't think she's trying to get through the Haunted Wasteland, do you? I've heard a lot of things about that place."

"So have I. I've overheard people talking about a 'river of sand', and other things. But I think Rose is willing to do anything to escape."

"She wouldn't just run out in the desert without a goal", said Link slowly. "Not even she is that stupid. She has a goal—"

"… and that goal is most likely the Temple", I added. "The Spirit Temple. Where else would she go?"

"Sheik", Link breathed, "do you still remember the magical songs Impa once taught you?"

"I still remember them clearly", I answered, "but without an instrument, they are of no use."

Link pulled a small item from his pocket. It was an ocarina, but not the Ocarina of Time. This one was smaller, and made of wood.

"Do you remember this? It's the ocarina Saria gave to me, when you and I left Kokiri Forest so many years ago."

"Link, it's been four years and a half", I said, but he just smiled. "Seems like an eternity, doesn't it? With this ocarina, I can talk to Saria whenever I like. Do you think a warp song would have any effect?"

I took the tiny instrument from him. "I don't know, but it's worth a try. I have never played any of these songs on any instrument but the harp before, so this might take a few tries. Let's see… the _Requiem of Spirit_…" I removed the fabric concealing the lower part of my face, and slowly put the ocarina to my lips. Closing my eyes, I desperately tried to remember the _Requiem of Spirit_, the song which would take us directly to Desert Colossus. I had never used the song to warp there, but I prayed that it would work now.

After a few minutes, I found the rhythm and soon, I got the song right. When I heard it, I recalled the day Impa had given that golden harp to me. It felt so long ago… I suddenly felt Link's hand squeezing mine, and I squeezed back, smiling at him. I closed my eyes and there it was, the certain feeling I knew so well by now. It felt like a huge hand had grabbed me around the waist and pulled me backwards. I was fairly sure that my guts had all changed positions when I fluttered my eyes open again. The first thing I saw was the Spirit Temple. It had worked.

Link arose from the ground with a groan. "I hate that and I will never get used to it!" he mumbled. "My head is killing me. Why does warping to different places have to hurt so much?"

"I don't know. But at least we're here", I said, pointing to the Temple and the giant statue covering its façade. The Goddess of Sand… I had to lean my head backwards to be able to see its top. The Temple really looked impressive. I wondered whether Rose had had the time to get here yet. I must admit I hoped she hadn't, so that we could be the ones surprising her, not the other way around. The thought of walking into the Temple with the knowledge that she might jump out from any dark corner and try to attack us gave me shivers.

I let my hand travel down my side, feeling the sheathe with my dagger strapped to my waist. I just wanted to make sure that I really had it. Just in case.

"Ready?" I heard Link ask. I nodded. "Definitely."

I took a step forward. The sand was hot under my feet, so hot that I immediately went backwards again. These Sheikah clothes surely weren't made for this. But I knew I shouldn't complain. Link's weapons were much heavier than mine, and they made it harder to walk and run.

"I guess we have to run", I said. "The sand is so hot that you can't walk. Well, _you_ can, I suppose, with those thick boots, but I can't. I wonder how far it is…"

Link thought for a moment. "Not very long. Come on." And so he ran. I followed him, of course. Suddenly, the sand underneath me started moving! Frightened, I watched as some kind of animal, if you could call it an animal, revealed itself from under the sand. It was green, had the form of a cone and had sharp, yellow spikes on the top. It moved itself forward by spinning its body. I had never seen anything like it before.

"Try not to let them get you", I heard Link yell. "Look out for those spikes."

"What are those?" I panted.

"I have no idea", he answered. There were more of them around us now. I jumped over one, dodged for another, then headed for the Temple entrance. I heard the peculiar sound the spinning things made when they tried to get me, but once I darted inside the Spirit Temple, they seemed to give up and quickly disappeared into the sand again.

* * *

Link's POV

The Temple was cool compared to the hot desert outside. And it was quiet, as well. Very quiet. The walls seemed to be made of some kind of yellowish stone, sandstone, maybe, but I wasn't sure. Right in front of me was a broad staircase. On each side of it, stood a high statue. They represented serpents, cobras, I guessed. They were made of sandstone, as well, but their long, curved fangs were made of silver, and they both had a red jewel between the unseeing eyes.

I turned around to see if Sheik had followed me into the Temple. He stood behind me, panting loudly, gazing at one of the serpent statues.

"You okay?" I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes", he said. "Just fine. Impressive, isn't it?"

"It really is", I agreed. "Wait… what's that?" I had just noticed that the two statues seemed to have some kind of inscriptions on them. Walking toward one of them, I took a closer look. Yes, it was most definitely an inscription, in a golden frame, but I didn't understand the letters. I focused on the message written on the statue, trying to figure out something, but I couldn't.

"I can't read it", I told Sheik. "What language is it?"

"Ancient Hylian", he informed me. "I haven't seen it in quite a while. It's becoming very unusual… I know a few words, though…" He gazed at the inscription, furrowing his brow in concentration. "_If you want to_…that could be_ you should_, I'm not sure, and then I can read the words _heart_, _and child_. That's all… it doesn't help us much, does it?"

I slowly shook my head. "I'm sure it would be of no use even if we did understand it. Let's take a look at the other rooms. And remember, be heedful."

He nodded. We then continued up the staircase. To our left, we could see a tiny hole in the wall, a tunnel, perhaps, but it was too small for both of us. Why build such a narrow passage here? We turned right instead. After having gone through a couple of rooms, all build of the same kind of stone, we came to a room larger than any I had ever seen. Since it was pretty dark in the room, I didn't see the huge statue in its middle at first. When I did, however, I couldn't help but let out a gasp of wonder.

It was a statue of the Goddess of Sand. She was as high as the room itself, sitting cross-legged upon the floor, holding her hands in front of her, with the palms turned upwards. I had never seen a work of art that big before. We began walking closer to it, when I heard Sheik let out a cry of surprise. I spun around, seeing what I had feared: Rose pressing the blade of her sword against Sheik's throat, her other hand holding his shoulder in a tight grip. I figured that Rose must have ripped the cloths covering Sheik's head off, because now Zelda's long, blonde hair and pointed ears were visible. No one could take her for a Sheikah boy now…

"Just to let you know", Rose said, "if you make a single move, I'll kill your friend."

I sighed impatiently. Why wasn't I surprised to hear that?

"Let him go, Rose."

"_Him_?" she chuckled. "No, I don't think I will." She slowly turned Zelda around, forcing her to look at her. And obviously something about Zelda startled Rose, because she gasped of surprise and lost her control for a moment. And thankfully, Zelda used that brief second to raise her arm and let her fist make contact with Rose's jaw, before she wriggled herself free.

Rose took a few steps backwards, and observed us warily.

"Rose", Zelda said. "Do you know who I am?"

"In fact, I do… Zelda", the former Queen smirked. "Maybe you would be surprised to know that I was the first to hold you when you were born. It's a pity that your mother passed away so tragically… we were good friends."

"My mother would never have made friends with _you_", said Zelda icily.

"Oh, but she did." Rose's smile got wider. "I really wonder why she died so suddenly. Maybe it was from exhaustion, or… perhaps that drink I gave her contained something she was allergic to. I don't know."

Zelda's eyes widened from shock. "You… don't tell me you—"

"Rose, how did you manage to get through the Haunted Wasteland?" I wanted to know. "That place is haunted."

"Oh, yes, it is", Rose nodded. "But with this, nothing is impossible. That's what I like about it." She showed us the back of her hand, where a Triforce mark was glowing. It looked just like mine and Zelda's, too symmetrical to be an ordinary birthmark. But then, what ordinary birthmark would be glowing like that?

"I have the Triforce of Power", Rose continued. "And I can do whatever I want with it. You can't—"

At first, I couldn't figure out why she had trailed off, but then I felt it, too. A rumbling. The floor was moving underneath my feet, like it had a life of its own. And then I heard the sound. It was a voice, I was positive it was a voice, but I couldn't catch any words. It sounded like someone tried to yell at the top of his or her lungs in the middle of a thunderstorm. You could hear the voice, but not the words. That's the best explanation I could think of.

Glancing at Rose, I noticed how pale she looked. Her eyes were locked to the statue of the Goddess of Sand, and she really looked terrified. She looked like all she wanted to do was to turn around and run, but she obviously couldn't. I couldn't move, either. It felt as though my feet were rooted to the spot. I slowly turned around, letting out a gasp as I saw the statue.

In its left palm, a large, glowing sphere of light had appeared. It had a cold, blue color, which made me think of ice. Its light was so intense, that I had to narrow my eyes to be able to look at it. To my surprise, there was another sphere in the right hand of the statue, but this one was green. It was a warm, intense green color, and it somehow reminded me of Kokiri Forest. I desperately wanted to be able to touch that magical sphere, I wanted to feel its green warmth. But then a third, intensely glowing ball appeared, right where the statue's face should have been. This one was bright red, red like warm blood.

Red, green, blue.

I realized it all then. Why we were here, and why the glowing spheres were here. I realized why one of the triangles on my hand was glowing darker than the two others. I understood it all right then.

I had a Triforce mark. Zelda had one. And so did Rose.

Power, Courage, Wisdom – red, green, blue.

But how could that be? The three golden Goddesses that once had created Hyrule, did they… did they really exist? I could think of no other explanation to what was happening.

I suddenly heard Rose let out a cry of despair. The light coming from the red sphere was reflecting in her eyes. I thought, for a brief moment, that I could see some kind of burning creature inside the red light, but I wasn't sure.

I looked at Zelda. She seemed completely calm, and was gazing at the blue sphere. I suddenly realized why I felt so attracted to the green one. I knew I was a son of Farore, because the Triforce of Courage had awoken inside me. And green represented Farore. Zelda was the daughter of Nayru, whose color was blue. But Rose – could she really be Din's daughter? She must be! Why would the Triforce of Power choose her if she wasn't?

"So… it's over, then", I heard Rose's voice. But I could hear no anger in it. Her voice was completely monotonous. "And fighting back is of no use. Once they've decided that your time is over, there is nothing you can do."

"Rose", I said, "how did you gain the Triforce of Power? Are you really the Daughter of Din?"

"Oh, of course not", she said hoarsely.

"How… how did you do it?" asked Zelda quietly.

"The one who was born with the Power of Din was Veilla", Rose continued. "Your mother, Zelda. And she really was a strong woman. She had the Power to rule this country with justice and wisdom. But then… she died, and the Triforce of Power abandoned her body. But it couldn't remain without a soul to possess…"

"Did you… did you steal my mother's piece of the Triforce?" snarled Zelda through clenched teeth.

"That's right. The Triforce of Power could have chosen anybody to possess, but it chose me. Because… because I'm the one who killed your mother."

I quickly turned to look at Zelda. Her eyes were empty, and her face emotionless. She was staring without seeing anything. I don't know if she really understood what Rose had told her. Then she sighed deeply, and her hands fell to her sides, as if she had really given up on everything.

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth. Somehow, I think you knew it all along. Your subconscious knew it, but you didn't want to accept it."

"I'm not accepting it now, either", Zelda said. She was talking utterly slowly, as if every pronounced word was a torment. "You're a monster. You killed a person who had just become a mother, you held her child as she died, you took her husband and her country—"

Rose raised her hand to silence her. "Don't think I haven't suffered as well, Zelda. I have. A frightful ghost, a spirit, has been following me, and it's whispered terrible words in my ear when I've been asleep, words too terrible to imagine. It's given me no rest. It's broken me down, down to a mere shadow of the proud woman I once was. It's haunted me every minute, every single second. And all I wanted was to get to sleep one night through without it disturbing my slumber. But no, it would return, sitting on my bedside, giving me endless nightmares…"

She got quiet as the rumbling began once again, more forceful now. The roaring sound got louder with every second. I closed my eyes tightly, pressing my palms to my sensitive ears – and just when I thought my eardrums would split, the noise ceased. I exhaled slowly, removed my hands, and opened my eyes.

Rose was no longer there. She could have had run away during that awful roaring, but I knew she hadn't. She was gone and the three spheres had vanished with her. The room was once again dark and gloomy, the statue was still sitting cross-legged in front of me. The only thing that looked amiss was that she no longer had a face, her features, once made of clay, had fallen apart when the red sphere, maybe Din herself, had appeared there.

Suddenly aware that I was exhausted, I sunk to my knees on the floor, trying to understand that it was all over.

I felt the weight of a hand on my shoulder, and I reached up and squeezed it lightly. Zelda fell to her knees beside me. She looked more beautiful than ever before, her fair hair tangled and tousled, her skin bruised and her clothes dirty. But that didn't matter, not now. The look in her fiery red eyes was enough. It told me more than she could ever say with words.

"It's over", she simply stated.

I nodded, squeezing her hand a little harder. "Finally…"

She smiled slightly. I leaned in to give her the kiss I had longed to give her for so long now. When we parted, she had closed her eyes, and let out a content sigh.

"Link, we should get back. I don't know how long we have been here. Maybe the battle is won by now."

"Maybe", I said. I got to my feet, and helped Zelda to stand. "I wonder… I can't help but wonder what the Goddesses did to Rose", I mumbled.

"I'm sure that they will give her the sentence she really deserves", Zelda said. "But don't bother about that now. We should be glad that it's over."

I looked at her, and smiled. "I am glad, Zelda. And now… let's go home."

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In fact, I was quite pleased with this chapter. So pleased, that I don't know if it's necessary to write a sequel. Please tell me if you review!


	24. Epilogue: Hand in hand

I'm sorry for my slow pace. I think I just lost my interest in writing for a while. I'm glad I found it again, though!

I'm also sorry if I used the wrong word and you were expecting a long **_sequel_**. In fact, I only meant to write a short **_epilogue_**, like this one… I hope you like it. I'm quite tired of this story now, and I want to write other things.

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Epilogue: **Hand in hand**

_"Look, mother, look at the flower!"_

_A little boy, who only seemed to be about the age of five or six, eagerly pointed at the white, frail, round plant on the ground, its stem swaying slowly in the wind._

_"It's been a dandelion, Marth", a young woman explained. The boy furrowed his brow and bit his lip, apparently trying to grasp that the white ball had been a yellow flower. The woman smiled and laughed at his confusion. She squatted down to his level, and pointed at the small plant._

_"This plant consists of seeds, dandelion seeds", she continued. "They spread in the wind at the right time, and fly far, far away, and once they reach the ground, they grow and make new flowers."_

_"They do?" the boy asked. The woman, who was tall and slim, laughed softly. Sometimes she couldn't believe that the boy was her own son. They were each other's opposite, at least in appearance. She had long, blonde tresses and dazzling blue eyes, while he was teal-haired and had eyes that were dark, yet bright. They were glowing with interest as he examined the trivial plant._

_"Look at this, Marth", his mother said. She carefully picked the plant, and held it close to her rosy lips. She blew softly, and the white, feather-like ball immediately shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces, it exploded into a white cloud, which was soon blown away by the wind. _

_The boy watched it disappear. The woman rose and brushed her clothes off. People who didn't know her would be able to tell she was of high status just from looking at her clothing. She wore clothes most people wouldn't think of as suitable for a walk through the woods. _

_"Veilla!"___

_The woman spun around at the sound of her name being called. She reached out her hand for the child, and he took it unhesitantly. Walking toward the sound of the voice, which was male, they soon disappeared between the trees._

* * *

Zelda awoke. Sighing heavily, she realized that it had been a mere dream. Now, she felt only a great disappointment. 

She glanced at the man beside her. His breathing was steady and soothing, she thought. A strand of pale, silvery moonlight made him look almost angelic. His eyelids fluttered a little, and she wondered whether he was also dreaming.

Her thoughts wandered. Her mother had been dead for many years – but this was the very first time Zelda had ever dreamt about her. Marth, the older brother she had looked up to and loved, had died after a ferocious fire ravaged Kakariko some months ago. Zelda couldn't even remember whether it had been three months, or half a year. The previous months had been tiring, completely exhausting. She hadn't been able to sleep one night through in a very long time.

_That's what my mother looks like… what she _looked_ like. She was beautiful, _Zelda thought. She forced herself into a sitting position, and pulled her legs up, resting her cheek on her knees. Shivering somewhat, she pulled the comforter closer to her body. _I've never thought about it before, I've never wondered what she looked like. Impa used to say that I looked so much like her._ Zelda gave a slight chuckle, but stopped when realizing that she did not want to wake Link up. _She's right. I do…_

Her eyes narrowed. _If it hadn't been for _her_… she would still have been alive._

If it wasn't for Rose… but there was no need in thinking that way. Nothing could ever change the past.

Zelda slid the covers off her body, and shuddered as her bare feet touched the cold stone floor. She tiptoed to the balcony door, and slid it open. Leaving the door ajar, she strode over to the balcony rail. How many times had she not stood here, watching the castle gardens and listening to the noise of town? But not tonight. Tonight was different somehow – it was completely quiet. Not a breeze in the foliage, nor a rustle in the grass…

She didn't hear the quiet creaking as the door slid open. Nor did she catch the sound of bare feet behind her. She suddenly felt a pair of warm, wet lips and a hot breath on her neck and jumped.

"I… I couldn't sleep", she said.

"Why?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Bad dream. No, not bad, really… I dreamt about mother – and Marth. I've never dreamt about my mother before. They were… they were picking flowers… it sounds stupid."

She felt Link shake his head. "No, it doesn't. I heard you leave. Why did you go out here? It's a bit chilly."

She nodded. "I like this place. You see how you can see the castle gardens from here? And the town beyond them. You can even see Hyrule Field from here! It's so beautiful in the mornings. I use to stand here and watch the sun rise."

He smiled. "That's just like you. You love beautiful things."

"I love you", said Zelda sheepishly.

He pulled her even closer. "I'm glad it's all over."

"So am I."

"Our country is returning to normal. Parents can watch their children grow up without having to worry about the future. You'll make Hyrule's future bright, Zelda."

Her voice was suddenly sad. "What about… you?"

"I will decide when the time comes, and your father no longer can rule this country. But I don't think I could ever become King. I'm not even born regal… but no matter what happens, I'll always be there for you… if you need it."

For a while they remained that way, embracing tightly, enjoying each other's company. Zelda felt a slight breeze tousle her hair, and closed her eyes. Everything was returning to normal. The people would forget. Kakariko Village would be rebuilt. But the pain she had felt when losing her brother, the torment she went through as she found out that Rose had murdered her mother – they would never disappear. They would fade, yes, but never vanish completely. Zelda could never repress them; they would always be a part of her.

"It's getting cold", whispered Link softly in her ear. "Let's go to bed…" She giggled as he swept her off her feet, carrying her to bed. Sighing, she watched him close the balcony door. When he turned around, he was smiling.

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It actually took some courage to post this. I don't know whether I should have posted the epilogue or not. It's up to you to decide if you review.

_Lost and Found_ was my second story, but it's the first I'm finishing. Sometimes, I thought it would never get this far. I was considering giving up, and discontinuing it. Now I'm glad I didn't. It's mainly due to my reviewers. Without people encouraging me, praising me and helping me develop as an author, I wouldn't be writing this.

I've been writing on this story much longer than I ever thought I would… almost a year! It didn't end up like I expected, not even like I wanted to. But I couldn't control it. It 'wrote itself', in a way.

I could never name every reviewer, but I'm grateful to _everybody_ who has given my story their support! Some of you have helped me a lot, you've given me ideas and opinions, and shared your thoughts with me. I'm especially thankful to the frequent reviewers, of which some people have reviewed throughout the entire story.

I have a dictionary. It's striped, the stripes are light blue, and dark blue. My mom bought it to me. I'd like to say that it started it all. It's pretty worn by now. Its spine is beginning to come off. I've flipped the pages back and forth hundreds of times. I call it my '_Lost and Found_-dictionary'. Now, when I've finished the story, maybe I'll get myself a new one.

**Once again, _thank you!_**


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